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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


GIFT  OF 


Lewis  F.  Lengfeld 


DISCOURSE 

CONCERNING 

The    PROG  E   S  S    of   the 
GENERAL     JUDGMENT. 

IN       WHICH 

The    modern    Notions    of   Unherfal  Salvation 
are  particularly   confidered. 


BY  NATHAN  A  EL   EMMONS,   A.  M. 

PASTOR  OF   THE  CHURCH   m    FRANKLIN.    . 

Behold,    I  come  quickly  ;    and  my   Reward  is  with  me, 
fo  give  every  Man  according  as  his  Work  jhall  be. 

The   SUPREME   JUDGE. 


PROVIDENCE      (Rhode-IJIwd) 
PRINTED  W    BENNETT    WHEELER,     1783. 


MATTHEW    XXV.     31 46. 

/£<?  Son  of  Manjhall  come  in  his  glory,  and  all  fie  holy  angeh 
with  him,  thenjhall  be  Jit  upon  the  throne  of  bis  glory.  And  befort 
kirn  Jhall  be  gathered  all  nations  :  And  he  Jhall  Jeperate  them  one 
from  another,  as  ajhepherd  diiidetb  bis  Jbeep  from  the  goats.  *And 
be  Jhall  jet  the  Jheep  on  bis  right  hand^  but  the  goats  on  the  left  7 'be* 
Jbali  the  King  jay  unto  them  on  his  ri^ht  hand,  Cow e^ ye  blefjtd  of  my 
Fatbtr,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of 
the  world,  for  I  was  ar^hungend  and  ye  gave  me  meat:  I  was 
thirty  and  ye  gave  me  drink  :  I  was  aftravger  and  ye  took  me  in :  Nak- 
td  and  ye  cloathed  me :  I  was  ftck  and  ye  vifited  me :  f  was  in  prifo* 
And  ye  cams  unto  me.  Then  Jhall  the  righteous  anfwer  him,  faying^ 
Lord)  vhenfaw  we  thee  anhungered  and  fed  thee  ?  or  thirty  and 
gavt  thee  drink  ?  When  faw  we  thee  a  fir  anger  and  took  thee  in  ?  or 
#a<edand  cloathed  thee  ?  Or  when  faw  we  thee  fuk  or  in  prifon  and 
came  unto  thee  ?  And  the  King  Jhall  anfwer  and  fay  unto  them^ 
Verity  1  fay  unto  you^  inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the 
leasJ  of  thefe  my  brethren,  ye  bart  dene  it  unto  me.  Thin  Jhall  he  fay 
unto  them  on  the  left  hand,  D  part  from  me,  ye  eurfed,  into  everlasJ- 
ing  fire,  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels.  For  I  was  an-hungered 
and  ye  gave  no  meat :  I  was  tbirsly  and  ye  gave  me  no  drink  :  I  was 
aftranger  and  yj  took  me  net  in  :  Naked  and  ye  doatbed  me  not :  Sick 
and  in  prif:n  and  ye  vifited  me  not.  Then  Jhall  they  alfo  anfwer  him^ 
Jay  n^,  Lord,  when  faw  we  thee  an-hungered,  or  a  thirft%  or  a  gran- 
ger, or  naked,  or  fuk,  or  in  prifon,  and  did  not  minitter  unto  thee  ? 
¥b-nf*  ill  he  anjwer  them,  laying^  Verily  I  fay  unto  you,  inafinucb  as 
ye  did  it  not  to  cne  of  the  leasJ  of  tbefe,  ye  did  it  not  to  me.  And  tbefe 
Jhall  go  away  into  ever  las!  ing  punijhment :  but  the  righteous  inte 
ffe  eternaL 

IT  is  rhe  inreation  of  this  difcourfe,  to  explain  and  con- 
firm the  leufe  of  this  paflage  of  (cripture.     And  fince 
laipcurc  is  the  bed  interpreter  of  kfeif,   we  (hall  corn* 


[    4    3 

I 

pare  the  various  representations   in  the  text,   whh  thf 
general  tenor  of  the  fucred  oracles, 

I.  Our  Lord  here  gives  us  a  particular  and  lively  re- 
prefentation  of  the  general  judgment.     "When  the  Son 
of  Man  (hill  come  in  his  glory,  and  all-  the  holy  angels 
with  him,  then   he    (hall   fit   upon   the   throne  of   his 
glory.    And  before  him  (hall  be  gathered  all  nations,  Sec/' 
This  dcfcription   of  the  great  day  refembles  that  of  fe- 
veral  other  infpired  writers.     Enoch   alfo^  the     fevenih 
from  Adam,    prophefied   of  it,    faying,    4<  Behold    the 
Lord  cometh  with  ten  thoufands  of  his  faints  to  execute 
judgment  upon  all."     Solomon  fays,    "  God  fhall  bring 
every   work  into  judgment,  with  every   fecret  thing, 
whether  it  be  good,  or  whether  k  be  evil."     The  a- 
poftle  Paul  declares  that  God  hath  appointed  a   day,  m 
the  which  he  will  judge  the  world  in  righteoufnefs  by 
that  man  whom   he   hath  ordained;  whereof  he   hath 
given   affuranee  unto  all   men,  in  that  he  hath   railed 
him  from  the  dead."  "We  are  told  the  fallen  angels  are 
"referved  in  everlafting  chains  under  darknefs,  unto  the 
judgment  of  the  great  day/'     And  the  apoftle  John  be- 
held in  wfion  this  great,  and  glorious,  and  folemn  fcene. 
**  I    law   the  dead,  fmall  and  great,  ftand   before   God; 
and  the   books  were  opened;  and  another  book   was 
opened,  which  is  the  book  of  life:  And  the  dead  were 
judged  out  of  thofe  things  which  were  written  in  the 
books  according   to  their   wprks."     Thefe  declarations 
are  too  explicit   to  need   any  comment;  they  literally 
fpeak  the  language  of  the  text,  and  confirm   the  repre- 
fentation  it  gives  of  the  general  judgment :  Which   is 
alfo  agreeable  to  the  nature  and  apprehenfions  of  man- 
kind as  well  as   the  character    of    the   Deity   and   the 
prclcnt  difpenfa-tions  of  divine  providence. 

k 


[     5     ] 

It  is,  in  the  firft  place,  perfe&ly  confonant  to  the  nar 
fure  of  men  as  moral  agents.  They  are  endued  with 
perception,  reafon,  memory,  confcience,  and  all  the 
powers  and  faculties  which  are  requifite  to  moral  agency. 
And  being  moral  agents,  they  are  proper  fubjefts  of 
law  and  moral  government.  The  Supreme  Being  there- 
lore  will  treat  them  but  according  to  their  nature,  to  call 
them  to  an  account  for  all  the  deeds  done  in  the  body, 
and  give  them  a  juft  recompenfe  of  reward.  Hence  e- 
very  man  carries  in  the  very  frame  and  conftitution  of 
his  nature  an  irrefiftible  evidence  of  a  future  judgment. 

Accordingly,  this  is  agreeable  to  the  natural  appre- 
henfions  of  mankind.  As  they  are  fenfible  they  lie  open 
and  naked  to  the  view  of  the  omnifcient  God,  fo  they 
naturally  expeft  he  will  call  them  to  an  account  for  all 
the  inward  motions  and  exercifes  of  their  hearts  as  well 
as  outward  adions  of  their  lives.  The  man  who  em- 
brues  his  hand  in  the  blood  of  his  fellow-creature, 
though  concealed  from  every  other  eye  but  the  omni- 
fcient, has  a  fecret  fearful  apprehenfion  of  the  righteous 
judgment  of  God.  And,  though  he  is  neither  accufed 
nor  lufpefted  of  his  crime,  yet  his  own  confcience  binds 
him  over  to  the  judgment  of  the  great  day.  This  is  the 
fecret  voice  of  nature,  which  has  difcovered  itfelf  on 
many  occafions.  The  Barbarians,  when  they  faw  the 
viper  on  Paul's  hand,  "  Said  among  themfdves,  no 
doubt  this  man  is  a  murderer,  whom  though  he  hath 
efcaped  the  fea,  yet  vengeance  fuffereth  nor  to  live." 
The  mariners  in  the  fhip  with  Jonah,  when  they  found 
themfelves  in  danger  of  perUhmg  by,  a  mighty  tempi  ft, 
"Said,  come  let  us  caft  lots,  that  we  -may  know  f^r 
whofe  caufe  this  evil  is  come  upon  us."  And  when 
Jofeph's  brethren  were  thrull  into  prifon,  and  fubjcdcd 

B  to 


C     6    ] 

to  great  and  unexpe&ed  misfortunes*  they  immediately 
recoiled  their  cruel  ami  unnatural  treatment  of"  their 
brother,  as  the  procuring  caufe  of  their  prefent  calamities. 
"They  fa  id  one  to  another,  we  are  verily  guilty  con- 
cerning our  brother,  in  that  we  faw  the  anguilh  of  his 
foul,  when  he  befowght  us,  and  we  would  not  hear  : 
Therefore  is  this  diftreis  come  upon  us."  All  men  thus 
feel  the  natural  connexion  between  moral  evU  and  phy- 
{ical,  between  finning  and  fuffering,  between  guilt  a&d 
punifhment.  Hence  every  man's  confcience  prefages  a 
future  day  of  retribution,  when  he  muft  give  an  account 
of  himfelf  to  God,  as  the  fupreme  and  final  Judge, 

And1  this  is  further  confirmed  by  the  rectitude  of  the 
divine  character  and  government.  Since  the  Author  of 
Nature  is  infinitely  holy,  juft  and  good,  he  muft  neceffa- 
rily  conduct  agreeably  to  thefe  divine  attributes  in  the 
government  of  moral'  beings,  and  difpenfe  rewards  and 
punifhments  according  to  their  refpe&ive  charters. 
The  prefent  ftate  of  things,  however,  clearly  evinces 
that  the  day  of  retribution  is  yet  to  come.  Here,  as 
Solomon  obferves,.  all  things  come  alike  to  all,  there 
is  one  event  to  the  righteous  and  the  \vicked,  and  no 
man  knoweth  either  love  or  hatred,  by  the  prelent  dif- 
penfations  of  divine  pn^vidence  towards  him.  But  as 
things  cannot  always  continue  fo  under  the  arlminiftra- 
tions  of  a  Being  of  perfect  reclirude  ;  fo  the  prefent  ftate 
of  the  world  is  a  clear  demonftration  of  a  future  general 
judgment,  when  the  Supreme  Being  will  review  the 
conduct  of  all  his  intelligent  creatures,  and  reward  the 
righteous  and  punifh.  the  wicked,  according  to  their 
works, 


II.  Our  Lord  fpeaks  ot  one  diilinffion  in  the 

of, 


C   7   3 

ef  men,  which  will  abforb  all  other  diftintfions,  and 
divide  the  whole  world  into  two  clafTes  at  the  laft  day.' 
*'  Before  him  (hall  be  gathered  all  nations :  And  he  fhall 
Jeparate  them  one  from  another,  as  a  fhepherd  divideth 
his  (heep  from  the  goats:  And  he  (hall  Jet  the  fheep  on 
his  right  hand,  but  the  goats  on  the  left.  Then  (hall  the 
King  fay  unto  them  on  his  right  hancf,  Come,  ye  blcfled 
of  my  Father,  &c — -For  I  was  an-hungered,  and  ye 
gave  me  meat:  I  was  thirlty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink: 
I  was  a  ftrangjr,  and  ye  took  me  in  :  Naked  and  ye 
clorhed  me  :  i  was  fick,  and  ye  vifited  me :  1  was  in 
prifon,  and  ye  came  unto  me.  Then  fhall  he  fay  alfo 
unto  them  on  the  left  hand,  Depart  from  me,  ye  curfed, 
&c. — For  I  was  an-hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  no  meat: 
I  was  thirfty,  and  ye  gave  me  no  drink:  I  was  a  ftran- 
ger,  and  ye  took  me  not  in  :  Naked,  and  ye  clothed  me 
not :  fick  and  in  prifon,  and  ya  vifited  me  not/' 

In  many  refpefts  the  righteous  and  the  wicked  re- 
femble  each  other.  They  are  often  alike  as  to  their 
natural  powers  and  abilities.  In  this  view,  Abfalom, 
Joab  and  Ahitophel  refembled  Mofes,  David  and  Solo- 
mon. There  is  alfo  a  refemblance  in  their  natural  tem- 
pers and  ciifpofitions.  Abfaloin  and  the  young  man  in 
the  gofpel,  were  perhaps,  in  this  refpeft,  as  amiable  as 
Mofes,  or  the  beloved  difciple  who  leaned  on  Jefus* 
breaft.  Thefe,  and  many  other  circumftances  which 
arife  from  birth,  rank,  fortune,  religious  denominations, 
&c?  are  common  both  to  the  righteous  and  the  wicked, 
sad  will  not  charaderife  mankind  at  the  laft  day.  But 
there  is  a  difference  in  the  HEARTS  of  men,  which 
forms  a  capital  diilinftion  in  their  characters,  and  will 
finally  place  fome  on  the  right,  and  fome  on  the  left 
Ihond  of^heir  JuJge,  And  this  is  the  diltindion, 

Qur 


[    8    ] 

our  Lord  here  mentions  and  defcribes.  He  reprefents 
the  righteous  as  poflefled  of  that  divine  love  and  charity, 
by  which  they  fought  the  glory  of  God  and  the  good  of 
their  fellow  creatures  in  all  their  adions;  Hut  he  repre- 
fents  the  wicked  as  actuated  by  a  low,  mean,  merce- 
nary, contraded  difpofition,  which  confined  all  thehr 
views  and  purfuits  to  their  own  good.  Bath  thefe  dif- 
pofmons  are  defcribed  by  the  apoftle  Paul.  His  diforip- 
tion  of  charity  or  divine  love  is  in  thefe  words. 
11  Though  I  fpeak  with  the  tongues  of  men  and  of  an- 
gels, and  have  not  charity,  I  arra  become  as  founding 
brafs,  or  a  tinkling  cymbal.  And  though  I  have  the 
gift  of  propheoy,  and  underftand  all  myfteries,  and  all 
knowledge  j  and  though  I  have  all  faith,  fo  that  I  could 
remove  mountains,  and  have  not  charity,  I  am  nothing. 
And  though  I  beftow  all  my  goods  to  feed  the  poor,  and 
thongh  I  give  my  body  to  be  burned,  and,have  not  cha- 
rity, it  profiteth  me  nothing."  So  fays  our  Lord  in  the 
text:  But  the  defcripdon -continues.  "Charity  fuffer- 
cth  long,  and  is  kind;  charity  envieth  not;  charity 
vaunteth  not  itfeif,  is  not  puffed  up,  doth  not  behave 
itfeif  unfeemly,  feeketk  not  her  own,  &c.  Whereas  the 
contrary  difpofition,  the  apoftle  fays,  makes  "  men  lo- 
vers of  their  own  felves,  covetous,  boailers,  proud, 
blafphemers,  difobedieht  to  parents,  unthankful,  unho- 
ly, without  natural  affedion,  truce-breakers,  fa  lie  ac- 
cufers,  incontinent,  fierce,  defpifers  of  thofe  that  are 
good,  traitors,  heady,  high-minded,  lovers  of  ploafure, 
more  than  lovers  of  God/'  Heat  and  cold,  light  and 
daiknefs  cannot  be  more  diametrically  oppofite  in  their 
nature  and  effefts,  than  thefe  two  difpoficions  are.  And 
fince  all  mankind  are  governed  by  one  or  the  other  of 
thefe  two  principles  ot  action,  fo  there  is  r*n  cfTencial 
diftinflion  in  their  charaders,  which  juftly  d7«iominates 
—  ^  them 


r*  3 

them  all  cither  righteous  or  wicked.  Accordingly  we 
find  the  fcripture  every  where  rakes  notice  of  this  capi- 
tal diftinftion  in  the  characters  of  men,  and  marks  it 
by  fuch  difcriminating  epithets  as  thefe— the  godly  and 
the  ungodly — the  holy  and  the  unholy — the  juit  and 
the  unjirft — faints  and  finners — the  friends  of  God  and 
the  enemies  of  God— the  children  of  fi'ght  and  the  chil- 
dren of  darknefs — the  children  of  God  and  the  children 
cf  the  devil, 

As  this  diftin<fb'on  is  of  great  importance,  and  clofely 
connected  with  the  fubjed  before  us,  we  fhall  conCder 
it  a  little  more  particularly. 

The  Supreme  Being,  in  the  courfe  of  providence, 
hath  acknowledged  and  paid  a  vifible  regard  to  this  dif- 
linftion  between  the  righteous  and  the  wicked.  In  def- 
cribing  the  character  of  Noah,  he  reprefents  him  as  ef- 
fentially  different  from  the  reft  of  mankind  at  that  day. 
**  God  looked  upon  the  earth,  and  behold  it  was  corrupt : 
For  all  flefti  had  corrupted  his  way  upon  the  earth  : — 
And  the  Lord  faid  unto  Noah,  come  th*ou,  and  all  thy 
houfe  into  the  ark  :  For  thee  have  I  feen  righteous  be- 
fore me  in  this  generation/1  Here  God  diftinguifhed 
the  righteous  from  the  wicked,  and,  to  exhibit  a  public  and 
vifible  regafd  to  this  diftindliou,  he  faved  the  righteous 
and  deltroyed  the  wicked. 

He  like  wile  aflerted  and  vindicated  the  didinguifhing 
chara<fter  of  Job.  "  The  Lord  faid  unto  Saran,  Haft 
thou  considered  my  fervanr  Job,  that  there  is  none  like 
him  in  the  earth,  a  perfect  and  upright  man,  one  that 
fcareth  God  and  efcheweth  evil  "  The  great  accufer  of 
the  brethren  difputed  the  truth  of  this  divine  declaration, 

C  "  Then 


f     to     ] 

*  Then  Satatvanfwered  the  Lord,-  and  faid,.  Doth  -  Job'- 
.fear  God  for  nought  ?  Haft  thou  not   made   an    hedgp* 
about  him,   and  about  his  houfe,,  and  about  all   he  hath 
on  every,  iidc  ?  Thou  hail  blefied.the  work  of  his  hands*; 
and  his  fubftance  is  increaied  in  the  land.  But  put  forth 
thine  haud.now,  and  touch  all  that  he  hath,  and  he  will 
curfe  thee  to  thy  face."     As  if  he  had  laid,  There  is  no- 
thing, fingular.  in  the.  character  of  Job,     He  condu&s  no 
otherwife  than  any  other  perfon  would  in  the  fame  fitua- 
tion.     Let  any  other    man   receive  equal  tokens  of  thy 
love  and  favour,  and  he  will'raake  equal  returns  of  gra- 
titude and  obedience.    Sinners  love  thofe  that  Ipve  them, 
He  is,  like  all  other  men,  entirely  governed  by  merce- 
nary  motives*     Therefore   only  touch  his  intereft,  and 
(trip  him  of  thofe  peculiar   favours    thou  haft   layifhed 
upon   him,  and.  he   will  drop    the    rnaik,  d4fcover  his 
hypocrifyy   and    eurfe    thee    to-  thy  face.      To   wipe 
off  thefe  afperfions  from  Job's  charader,  and  to  con- 
vince Satan  that  he  aflcd  from  truly  noble,   difinterefted 
motives,  God  gives  him  leave  to  try,  him  with   any  af- 
flidions  on  calamities  fhort  of  death*     Satan  with   plea- 
fure  ma-kes  the  experiment.     He  brings  a  train   of  evils 
upon  Job   in    thick,  fucceffion*.     He  ftrips   him    of  his 
wealth.     He  flays  his  fervants*     And  to  clofe  the  fcene,- 
he  rends  from  his  heart,  the  dear  objects  of  his  affe&ions, 
by   the  fudden   and   furpriztng  death   of  his   children.- 
Thus  he   tumbles  him*  in  a  moment^,  from  the  fumrait 
of  human  glory  into  the  depths  of  human  woe.     Here 
is  a-  fair  trial.     And  wtiat   is  the  effed?   Does  he  curfe 
God  as  Sitaa  predided,  and  as  an  unholy,  unfubmifEve 
heart   would  naturally    prompt  him    to   do  under  fuch 
a    fevere,    corrective    ffrnRe  ?    Nothing    more    remote. 
l<  Then  Jfc>barofe,and'rent  his  mantle,  and  fhaved  his  head,, 
and  fell  down  upoMthe  groundi  aiui  worshiped,  and  faid0,. 

Naked, 


{  II  ] 

Naked  came  I  out  of  my.  mother's  womb,  and  naked 
/hail  I  return  thither.  The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord 
hath  taken  away  ;  blefled  be  the  name  of  the  Lord." 
Here  is,  as.  far  as  can  be,  a  vifible  demonftration  of  the 
eiFeiniaL  difference  between  nature  and  grace,  between 
a  faint  and,  a- firmer., 

On  another  very  memorable  occafion,  God  explicitly 
acknowledged  the  reality  and  importance  of  this  dift-inc- 
tion.  He  had  refblved  to  deftroy  Sodom.  But  pre- 
vioufly  to  the  execution  of  this  defign,  he  revealed  his 
purpofeto  Abraham,  who  immediately  breaks  forth  into 
the  moft  fervent  interceilion  fbrthofe -milerable  objects. 
And  this  is  the  language  in  which  he  addreflls,  the  Moft 
High.  "  Wilt,  thou  deftroy  tbeirighteous  with  th& 
wicked  ?  That  be  far  from  thce  to  Jo,  after  this  manner, 
to  flay  the  righteous  with  the  wicked  :  And  that  the 
righteous  fhotikl  be  a&  the  wicked,  that  be  far  from  thee, 
fhall  not  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  do  right  ?  God  gra- 
cioufly  replies  to  this  and  his  repeated  importunity,  that 
if  he  found  fifty,,  or  forty-five,  or  forty,  or  thiity,  or 
twenty,  or  even  ten  righteous  perfons  in  the  city,  he 
would  fpare  the  whole  place  for  their  fakes.  And  when 
.neither  of  thefe  numbers  could  be  found,  he  delivered 
jud  Lor,,  as  a  (landing  monument  that  the  Judge  of  all 
the  earth  would  do  right.  Such  are  the  public,  vifible, 
linking  teftimonies,  which  God  himfelf  hath  borne  to 
the  diilmdion  between  the  righteous  and  the  wicked. 

David  rnentioasand  defcribes  this -diflin&ipn  almoft  ia 
every  pfalm<  If  may  fuffice  to  quote  the  firll  as  a  fpe- 
cimen  of  the  reft.  "  Blefled  is  the  man  that  walketh  not 
in  the  council  of  the  ungodly,  nor  ftandeth  in  tLe  uav  of 
nor  jQtteth.ia-  the  feat  of  \\\t  Jcorvfal*  Bur 


I  »  ] 

delight  is  in  the  law  of  God  ;  and  in  hi??  law  doth  be 
meditate  day  and  nighr.  And  Jie  fhall  be  like  a  tfee 
planted  by  the  rirers  of  water,  that  bringeth  forrh  his 
fruit  in  feafon  ;  his  leaf  alfo  (hall  not  wither,  and  what- 
foever  he  doth  (hall  profper.  The  ungodly  are  nut  fo  ; 
but  are  like  the  chaff  which  the  wind  driveth  away. 
Therefore  the  ungodly  fhall  not  ft  and  in  the  judgment,  nor 
finncrs  in  the  congregation  of  the  righteous  ;  but  the  way 
of  the  uugodfy /halt  penjh."  If  it  be  fa  id,  this  pfalm  refers 
to  Chrift,  it  is  fufficient  to  obferve  that  there  is  DO  evi- 
dence of  it  from  any  defcription  of  his  perfon  or  cha- 
rafter,  nor  from  any  part  of  it  being  applied  to  him  in 
the  new-teftament. 

The  book  of  Proverbs  is,  in  a  manner,  one  continued 
Contrail  between  the  righteous  and  the  wicked. 

The  declarations  of  Chrift  on  this  head  deferve  fpecial 
attention  and  regard.  His  fermon  on  the  mount  con- 
tains a  beautiful  defcription  of  the  difcrimiwating  charac- 
ters of  the  righteous.  "  BlefTed  are  the  poor  in  ipirit : 
For  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Bleffed  are  they 
that  mourn  :  For  they  fhall  be  comforted.  BlefTed  are 
the  meek  :  For  they  fhall  inherit  the  earth.  Bleffed  are  they 
which  do  hunger  and  third  after  righteoufneis:  For  they 
fhall  be  filled.  Bleffed  are  <he  merciful  :  For  they  fhall 
obtain  mercy.  Blefled  are  the  pure  in  heart:  For  they 
fhall  fee  God."  That  Chrift  here  intends  to  diftinguifh 
faints  from  Tinners,  in  tefpe6t  to  the  inward  motions  and 
affrftionsof  thair  6<rtfr//,  is  not  only  evident  from  the  def- 
cription itfelf,  but  from  the  obfervation  which  he  imme- 
diately fubjoins.  "  For  i  fay  unto  you,  That  except 
your  righteoufnefs  fliall  exceed  the  righreoufnefs  of  the 
Scribes  and  Pharifees,  ye  fhall  in  no  cafe  enter  into  the 

kingdom 


-[     13    ] 

kingdom  ofheaven."  And  in  the  conclufion  df  this  chap- 
ter, he  more  particularly  defcribes  the  nature  and  cflence 
ef  the  diftinftion,  which  he  had  before  been  fpeaking  of. 
"  Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  (aid,  Thou  (halt  lore 
thy  neighbour,  and  hate  thine  enemy  :  But  I  fay  unt® 
you,  Love  your  enemies,  blefs  them  that  curfe  you,  do 
good  to  them  that  ha-te  you,  and  pray  for  them  that  del- 
pitefully  ufe  you,  and  persecute  you  ;  that  ye  may  be 
the  children  of  yeur  Father  which  is  in  heaven;  for  he 
fnakerh  his  fun  to  rife  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good,  and 
fendeth  rain  on  the  ju-ft  and  on  the  unjuft.  For  if  ye 
.love  them  that  love  you,  what  reward  have  ye?  do  not 
even  the  publicans  the  fame  ?  And  if  ye  falute  your  bre- 
thren only  ;  what  do  ye  more  than  others  ?  do  not  even 
the  publicans  fo  ?  Be  ye  therefore  perfect,  even  as  your 
Father  which  is  in  heaven  is  perfeft."  Our  Lord  here 
reprefcnts  the  children  of  God  as  bearing  his  divine 
image,  and  pofltffing  his  divine  fpirit,  which  diftinguifhel 
them  from  the  reft  of  mankind  who  are  utterly  defli- 
tute  of  fuch  a  holy  and  heavenly  temper.  And  in  his 
conference  with  Nicodemus,  lie  points  out  the  fourcc 
from  whence  they  derive  this  fpecial  grace,  and  who  it 
is  that  makes  them  to  differ.  "Verily,  verily,  I  fay  unto 
you,  Except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  fee  the 
kingdom  of  God.  That  which  is  born  of  the  flefh,  is 
flefh  :t  and  that  which  is  born  of  the  fpirir,  is  fpirit: 
marvel  not  that  I  faid  unto  you,  Yemuftbe  born  again/' 

We  have  only   to  add    the  teftimonies  of  the  apofilcs 

to  this  important  diftin6lion.    St   Paul  declares,   "  If  any 

man  have  not  the   fpirit   of  Chrift,  he  is  none   of    his.'1 

Again,  "  If  any  man  be  in  (Thrift,  he  is  a  new  creature: 

,  Old  things  are   paffed  away;  behold,  all  things  are  be- 

vcome  new."     Apd  he  reprefenu  faints  as  diibngu-fhcu 

D  "  not 


[      '4    1 

not  only  from  finners,  -but  from  thcj^-felves  whilft  in  a 
ilatc  of  nature,  by  the  fpeeial   influences  of  the  divine 
Spiric,     "Aad  you  hath  he  fuJciencd,  who  were  dead 
in  trefpaffcs  and  fins,  wherein  in   time  paft  ye   walked 
according  to  the  courfe  of  this  world,  according  to  the 
prince  of  the  power  of  the  air,  the  fpirit  that  now  work- 
eth  in  the  children  ol  difobedience :  Among  whom  we 
all  had  our  converfation  in  times  paft ;  in  the  Itrft  o!  our 
fltfh,  and  ot  the  mind  :  And  were  by   nature  the  chil- 
dren of  wrath,  even  as  others."     And  in  another  place, 
alter  mentioning  a  catalogue  of  the  blacked  chara^ers, 
he  reminds  the  Jaints,  u  Tha-t  fuch  were  lome  of  you  ; 
but  ye  are  wafhed,  but  ye  are  fan<£tified,  but  ye  are  ju(- 
lified  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jefus,  and  by  the  Spirit 
of  our  God."     The  apoftle  John  in  the  firft   chapter  of 
his  gofpel,  fays,  "  As  many  as  received  Chrift,  to  them 
gave  he  power  to  become  the  fons  of  God,  eveu  to  them 
that   believe  on  his  name:  Which   were  born,   not  of 
blood,  nor  ot  the  will  of  the  flefh,  nor   of  the  will  of 
man,  but  of  God."     And  in  the  third  chapter  of  his  firit 
epiftle,  he  infills  on  the  fame  diftindion  as  a  matter  of 
high  importance.     "  Little  children,  let  no  man  deceive 
you  (by  pretending  there  is  no  difference  between  faints 
and  finners,  for)  he  that  doth  righteouinefs  is  righteous, 
even  as   he,  that  is  Chrilt,    is  righteous  :  He  that  com- 
mitteth   fin  is  of  the  devil ;  for  the  devil   finneth  from 
the  beginning.     Whofoever  is  born  of  God   cloth   noc 
commit  fin  ;  for  his  feed  remaineth  in  him :  And  he  can- 
not fin,  becaufe  he  is  born  of  God.     In  this  the  children 
of   God   are   manifeft,    and   the  children  of  the  devil : 
Whofoever  doth  not   righteoufnefs  is  not  of  God,  nei- 
ther he  that  loveth  not  his  brother/'     Thus  the  efTential 
diftinftion  between  the  righteous  and  the  wicked  appears 
to  be   perfectly  confonant  to  the  whok  tenor  of 
facred  oracles.  III. 


E    **   } 

III.  Chrift  further  afTem  that  the  righteous  and  rhfe 
wicked  fhall  be  feperat-ed  from  each  other,  and  refpeo 
tiveiy  rewarded  and  punilhed  at  the  laft  day.  "  And  he 
fhall  frperate  them  one  from  another,  as  a  fhcpherd  di- 
videth  his  fheep  from  the  goats  :  And  he  fhall  Jet  the 
fheep  on  his  right  hand,  but  the  goats  on  rhc  left.  Then 
(hall  the  King  lay  unto  them  on  his  right  hand  ;  Come, 
ye  blcffed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared 
for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world.  Then  fhall 
he  fay  aHo  unto  them  on  the  left  hand,  Depart  from  me, 
ye  curfed,  into  everlaftirig  fire,  prepared  for  the  devil 
and  his  angels,"  This  reprefentation  of  the  procefs  of 
the  laft  day  fa'lls  in  with  the  natural  opprehenfions  of 
mankind.  They  naturally  exped  a  future  judgment,  and 
they  as  naturally  expecT:  the  judgment  of  God  will  be 
according  to  truth,  and  proceed  upon  the  immutable 
principles  of  perfect  reftuude. 

And  we  have  fuflkient  grounds  to  etfpeft  this,  from 
many  inllanges  of  the  divine  conduct.  God  fepcrfcteJ 
the  fallen  angels  from  the  reft  of  the  heavenly  hofls,  and 
doomed  them  coal-late  of  darknefs  and  dtlpair.  He 
approved  and  preferved  Noah,  whilft  he  condemned  and 
deftroyed  the  ungodly  world.  He  preferved  juft  Lot 
from  the  ruins  of  Sodom.  And  he  diftinguifhed  Mofes 
and  Aaron,  Caleb  and  Jofhua  from  that  evil  generation, 
who  were  doomed  to  fail  in  the  wildernefs.  Thefe  in- 
ftances  prefrjge  a  more  general  and  perfedl  difplay  of  re- 
tributive juftice  at  the  lai)  day.  And  in  this  light  they 
are  confideied  and  improved  by  the  infpired  writers  of 
the  new  teftament.  The  apoftle  Peter  urges  them  as 
inconteflible  proofs  of  future  rewards  and  puriflimtiits. 
**  For,  fays  he,  if  God  (pared  nor  the  an  gels  that  finned, 
Vuc  call  them  down  to  b-cllj  and  delivered  them 


.chains  of  dafknefs,  to  be  referred  unto  judgment;  and 
(pared  not  the  old  .world,  but  laved  Noah   the  eighth 
perfon,  a, preacher  of  righteoufnefs,  bringing  in  the  flood 
upon  the  world  of  the  .ungodly ;  and  turning  the  cities 
.ef  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  into  aChes,  condemned  them 
,\vith  an   overthrow,   making   them   an  enfample  unto 
thofe  that  after  fliould   live  ungodly ;  and  delivered  juft 
Lot,  vexed  with  the  filthy  conversation  of  the  wicked  : 
«— The  Lord  knoweth  how  to  deliver   the- godly   out  of 
temptations,  and  to  referve  the  uyuft  unto  the  day  of  judg- 
ment to  be  f unified"     And  the  apoftle  Paul  realonsin  the 
lame  manner  upon  the  divine  conduct  towards  the   de- 
voted Ifraelites.    ,**  But   with   many  of  them  God  was 
not  well  pleafed ;  for  they  were  overthrown  in  the  wil- 
dernefs.     Now  all  thefe  things  happened  unto  them  for 
.enfamples}  and  they  are  written  for  our  admonition,  upon 
•whom  the  ends  of  the  world  are  come."     Thele  inftan- 
ces  leave  us  no  room  to  doubt,  that  God  will  finally  dif- 
penfe  rewards  and  punifhments  to  all  mankind  with  per- 
fed:  rcftit tide  and  impartiality. 

Nor  is  this  lefs  evident  from  the  whole  tenor  and  fpi* 
-rit  of  the  gofpel,  which  fets  the  rewards  of  the  righteous, 
and  punifhments  of  the  wicked  after  death,  in  the  cleared 
and  ftrongeft  light.  The  gofpel  not  only  proclaims  di- 
vine mercy  to  all  penitent  ancLbelieving  finners,  but  on 
the  contrary,  denounces  inevitable  deftru&ion  to  all  who 
finally  rejed  the  offers  .of  life.  Accordingly  our  Lord, 
when  he  fent  forth  his  apoftles  to  preach  the  gofpel.,  gave 
them  fpecial  chargexto  proclaim  its  lolcmn  fanflions  as 
well  as  its  gracious  propofals.  "  And  he  called  unto 
him  the  twelve,  and  began  to  fend  them  forth  by  two 
and  two.— And  he  faid  .unto  them,  In  what  place  foever 
ye  enter  into  an  houfe,  there  abide  till  y€  depart  from 

that 


t    >7    ] 

that  place.  And  whofoever  fli«all  not  receive  you,  not- 
hear  you,  when  ye  depart  thence,  fbake  off  the  dull  un- 
der your  feet,  for  a  teftimony  againil  them.  Verily,  I 
fay  unto  you,  It  (hall  be  more  tolerable  for  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah,  in  the  day  of  judgment,  than  for  that  city." 
After  ChriiVs  refurre&ion,  and  jufl  before  his  afcention 
into  heaven,  he  gave  a  eommiflion  to  bis  apoftles,  and. 
to  ail  tluir  fucceffors  in  the  miniftry,  to  preach  the  gof- 
pel wherever  divine  providence  fhould  call  them.  And 
thei>r  commiffion  runs  in  this  folemn  form.  "  Go  ye  into 
fill  the  world,  and  preach  the  gofpel  to  every  creature : 
He  that  believeth  and  is  baptifed  (hall  be  faved  ;  but  he 
that  believeth  not  (hall  be  darn-ned."  Here  is  the  very 
genius  and  fpirit  of  that  gofpel,  which  is  Jo  be  unfolded 
and  inculcated  by  all  the  minifters  of  (Thrift  in  every 
age  of  the  church.  And  according  to  this  fummary  of 
the  gofpel,  future  rewards  £nd  punifhments  appear  to  be 
not  only  confident  with  the  gofpel,  but  an  efTential  part 
of  if.  Indeed  the  gofpel  gives  as  full  alTurance  of  the 
deftrudion  of  unbelievers,  as  of  the  falvation  of  be- 
lievers; and  as  infallibly  fixes  the  certainty  of  future 

punifhments  as  of  future  rewards. 

« 

This  truth  evidently  runs  through  the  whole  frame 
and  contexture  of  the  gofpel,  and  is  interwoven  with 
all  its  peculiar  and  leading  fentiments.  We  might  in- 
fiance  in  the  dodrine  of  election,  divine  fovereignty,  re- 
generation, &c.  But  we  fhall  only  mention  the  terms 
of  falvation,  which  are  the  cardinal  precepts  of  the 
gofpel. 

Repentance  is  one  of  thefe.  It  is  much  infifled  on 
both  in  the  old  teflament  and  new.  Solomon  fays,  "  He 
that  covereth  his  fins  fhall  not  profper :  But  whofo  con- 

E  fefleth 


C!  »a-  .]• 

fefleth  and -forftketh  them,  flyull  have  mercy./ 
tells  us,  "  The  Jacrifices  of  God  are  a  broken  fpirir :  A 
broken  and  a  contrite  heart,  O  God,  thou  wilt  not  def- 
pile."  Chrift  alfo  declares,  ".He.- came  not  to  call  the1 
righteous,  but  fmners  to  repentance.  And  he  exprefly 
told  fmners,  on  a  certain  occafion,  "  Except  ye.  repent^ 
ye  fhall  all  like  wife  perifh." 

Faith  in  the  Mediator  is  a  term  of  the  divine  accep- 
tance. "  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptifed  (hall  be  faved  : 
Rue  he  that  believech  not  (hall  be  damned/'  t 

Love  to  Chrift  is  a  condition  of  divine  approbation  at 
the  laft  day.  "  If  any  man  love  not  the  Lord  Jefus 
Chrift,  let  him  be  Anathama  maranatha."  That  is  to  fay, 
let  him  be  accurfed  when  the  Lord  Cometh  to  judgment. 

A  forgiving  fpirit  is  likewise  necefTary  in  order  to  ob- 
tain divine  forgivenefs.  "When  ye  fland  praying  for- 
give if  ye  have  ought  againft  any  :  That  your  Father 
alfo,  which  is  in  heaven,  may  forgive  your  trelpafTes. 
But  if  you  do  not  forgive,  neither  will  your  Father  which 
is  in  heaven  forgive  your  trefpafles." 

And  it  is  equally  neceflary  to  perfevere  in  all  chriftian 
graces  and  duties,  in  order  to  receive  the  end  of  our 
iaith,  even  the  falvatfon  of  our  fouls.  "Nowthejuft 
fhall  live  by  faith :  But  if  any  man  draw  back,  my  foul 
fhall  have  no  pleafure  in  hinv  Bat  we  are  not  of  thole 
\vho  draw  back  unto  perdition  :  But  of  them  that  believe 
to  the  faving  of  their  fouls."  Thefe  terms  of  falvation 
fpeak  for  themfelves.  If  they  have  any  meaning,  they 
muft  mean  that  thofe  who  comply  with  them  fhall  be 
feved*  but  thofe  who  rejedi  them  fhall  be  lofl 

The 


ff    *9    1 

*  The  dofttfne  of  future  rewards  and  pvinifhments  may 
receive  additional  proof  from  many  exprefs  declarations 
of  fcripture.  To  recite  every  paflage  in  favour'  of  this 
truth,  would  be  to  tranfcribe  a  great  part  of  the  bible. 
We  fhall  therefore  only  mention  a  few  which  are  the 
moft  plain,  and  pertinent  to  our  fubjeft.  We  read  in 
the  ninth  pfalm,  "  The  wicked  fhall  be  turned  into  hell, 
and  all  the  nations  that  forget  God/'  There  was  a  fet 
of  men,  in  the  days  of  Malachi,  who  ridiculed  all  expe- 
rimental religion  and  vital  piety.  They  faid  it  was  a 
vain  thing  to  ferve  God,  to  walk  mournfully  before  him, 
or  to  keep  his  ordinances.  They  called  the  proud  hap- 
py, and  applauded  the  workers  of  iniquity.  In  contraft 
with  fuch  perfons,  the  prophet  points  the  chara&ers  and 
future  pro1pe6ts  of  the  righteous  in  the  moft  lively  co- 
lours. "  Then  they  that  feared  the  Lord  fpake  often 
one  to  another;  and  the  Lord  hearkened  and  heard  it, 
and  a  book  of  remembrance  was  written  before  him,  for 
them  that  feared  the  Lord  and  thought  upon  his  name. 
And  they  fhall  be  mine,  faith  the  Lord  of  hods,  in  the 
day  when  I  make  up  my  jewels;  and  I  will  fpare  them 
as  a  man  fpareth  his  own  fon  that  ferveth  him.  Then 
fhall  ye  return,  and  difeern  between  the  righteous  and 
the  wicked;  between  him  that  ferveth  God,  and  him 
that  ierveth  him  not/' 

The  a poftle Paul  fpeaks  equally  plain  and  determinate 
on  this  head,  in  the  fecond  chapter  of  Romans.  "  But 
•we  are  fgre  the  judgment  of  God  is  according  to  truth, 
again  ft  them  that  commit  fuch  things.  And  thinkefi 
thou,  O  man,  that  judgeft  thofe  that  do  fuch  things  and 
doeft  the  lame,  that  thou  fhalt  efcape  the  judgment  of 
God  ?.:  Or  dcfpifeft  thou  the  riches  ©f  his  goodness,  and 
forbearance,..and  long.luffering  j  not  knowing  that  the 


C      2°      ] 

goodnefs  of  God  leadeth  thee  to  repentance  ?  But  after 
thy  hardnefs  and  impenitent  heart,  treafurcft  np  to  thy- 
felf  wrath,  againft  the  day  of  wrath,  and  revelation  of 
the  righteous  judgment  of  God  ;  who  (hall  render  to 
every  man  according  to  his  deeds:  To  them,  who  by 
patient  continuance  ira  well-doing,  feek  for  glory,  and 
honor,  and  immortality;  eternal  life:  But  unto  them 
that  are  contentious,  and  do  not  obey  the  truth,  but  obey 
unrighteoufnefs ;  indignation  and  wrath,  tribulation  and 
anguifh  upon  every  foul  of  man  (not  fin  of  man,  buc 
Joul  of  man)  that  doth  evil,  of  the  Jew  firft,  and  alfo 

of  the  Gentile." 

> 

To  thefe  may  be  added,  the  declarations  of  Chrift. 
14  Wide  is  the  gate,  and  broad  is  the  way  that  leadech  to 
deftruflion,  and  many  there  be  which  go  in  thereat  ; 
Becaufe  ftrait  is  the  gate,  and  narrow  is  the  way,  which 
leadeth  uixo  life,  and  few  there  be  that  find  ir."  "  Not 
every  one  that  faith  unto  me,  Lord,  Lord,  (hall  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  but  he  that  doeth  the  will  of 
niy  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  Many  will  fay  unto 
me  in  that  day,  Lord,  Lord,  have  we  not  prophefied  in 
thy  name  ?  And  in  thy  name  caft  out  devils  ?  And  in 
thy  name  done  many  wonderful  works?  And  then  will 
1  profefs  unto  them,  1  never  knew  you  :  Depart  from 
me,  ye  that  -work  iniquity!1  "  Fear  not  them  that  kill  the 
body,  but  are  not  able  to  kill  the  foul:  But  rather  fear 
him,  which  is  able  to  deflroy  both  foul  and  body  in  hell." 

To  enforce  thefe  folemn  warnings,  our  compaflionate 
Redeemer,  -as  it  .were,  fets  before  our  eyes  the  certainty 
and  danger  of  future  punifhments,  by  a  number  of  well- 
chofen  and  (Inking  parables.  To  this  end  he  fpoke  the 
parable  of  the  vineyard— of  the  tower—of  the  rich  fool 

—of 


*—  of  the  marriage  fupper-— of  the  ten  virgins— of  the  ta- 
lents— -of  the  tares — and  of  the  rich  man  and  Lazarus. 
Bach  of  thefe  parables  would  greatly  ferve  to  illuftratc 
the  fubjeft  before  us,  but  efpecially  the  two  laft;  which, 
therefore,  we  beg  leave  to  recite  at  large.     The  parable 
of  tfee  tares  is  in  the  thirteenth  of  Matthew.     "  The 
kingdom  of  heaven  is  likened  unto  a  man  uhich  fowed 
good  feed  in  his  field  :  But  while  men  ilept,  his  enemy 
came  and  fowed  tares  among  the  wheat,  and  went  his 
way.     But  when  the  blade  was  fprung  up,  and  brought 
forth  fruit,  then  appeared  the  tares  alfo.    So  the  fervants  of 
the   houfholder  came,  and  faid  unto  him,  Sir,  didft  not 
thou  fow  good  feed  in  thy   field  ?  From   whence  then 
hath  it  tares  ?    He  (aid  unto  them,  an  enemy  hath  done 
this.     The  fervants  faid  unto  him,  Wilt  thou  that  we  go 
and  gather  them  up  ?  But  he  faid,  nay  ;  left  while  ye  ga- 
ther up  the  tares,  ye  root  up  alfo  the  wheat  with  them. 
Let  both  grow  together  until  the  harveft  :  And   in  the 
time  of  harveft,  I  will  fay  unto  the  reapers,  Gather  yc 
together  firft   the  tares,  and   bind   them  in   bundles,  to 
burn  them  :  But  gather  the  wheat  into  my  barn."    Our 
Lord's  expofmon  of  his  own  parable  fuperfedes  any  other 
comment.     It  is  this.     "  He  that  foweth  the  good  feed 
is  the  Son  of  man ;  the  field  is  the  world  ;  the  good  feed 
are  the   children   of  the  kingdom,  but  the  tares  are  the 
children  of   the   wicked   one:  The   enemy  that  fowed 
them  is  the  devil ;  the  harveft  is  the  end   of  the  world ; 
and  the  reapers  are  the  angels.     As  therefore  the  tares 
are  gathered  and  burnt  in  the  fire;  fo  fhall  it  be  in  the 
end  of  the  worldi     The  Son  of  man  fhall  fend  forth  his 
angels,  and   they  fhall  gather  out  of  his  kingdom  all 
things  that  offend,    and  them  which  do   iniquity  :  And 
fhall  caft  them  (not  their  fins>  but  them  perfonally)  into 
*  furnace  oi  fire;  There  fhall  be  weeping  and  knafhing 

F  of 


ef  teeth.     Then   fhall  the  righteous  fhinc  forth  in  the 
kingdom  of  their  Father/' 

The  parable  of  the  rich,  man  and  Lazarus,  in  the  fix* 
teenth  o(  Luke,  gives  us  a  (till  more  yifibleand  -afftfting 
reprefentation  of  the  mifcrits  cf  the  damned.     "  There 
was  a  certain  rich  man  which  was  clothed  in  purple  and 
fine  linen,  and  fared  Turn ptuoufly  every  day.     And  there 
w£s  a  certain  beggar,  named  Lszarus,  which    was   laid 
at  his  gate,  full  of  (ores;,  and  dcfinng  to  be  fed  with  the 
crumbs^vvhich  fell  from  the  rich  man's  table:  Moreover 
the  dogs  came  and  licked  his  fores.    And  it  came  to  pafs 
that  the  beggar  died,  and  was  carried,  by  the  angels  into 
Abraham's  bofom.     The  rich   man    allo  died,  and    was 
buried  :  And  in  hell  he  lifted  up  his  eyes,  being  in  tor- 
ments, and  feeth  Abraham,  afar  off,  and  Lazarus  in   hi* 
bofom.     And  he  cried  and  fald,  Father  Abraham,  have 
mercy  on- me,,  and   fend  Lazarus,  that  he   may  dip  the 
tip  of  his  finger  in  water,  and  cool  my  tongue  :  For  1 
am  tormented   in    this  flame.     But  Abraham  faid,    Son, 
remember  that  thou  in  thy  life-time  r-eceivedft  thy  good 
things,  and  likewife  Lazarus  evil  things  :  But  now  be- 
is  comforted,  and  thou  art  tormented.     And  befides  all1 
this,  between  us  and   you  there  is  a  great  gulph  fixed  : 
So  that  they  which  would  pafs  from  hence  to  you,  can- 
not, neither  can  they  pafs  to  us,  that  would  come  frorh 
thence.     Then  he  faid,,  I  pray  thee   therefore  that  thou 
wouldeft  fend  him  to  rny  'father's  houfe  ;  for  I  have  five 
brethren,  tha{  he  may  teflify  unto  them,  left  they   alfo 
come  into  this  place   of  torment,     Abraham    faith    unto 
him,  They  have  Mofes  and  the  prophets  :  Let  tjiem  hear 
them.     And  he  faid,  nay,   Father  Abraham  ;  but  ii  one 
wem  unto  them  from  the  dead,  they  will  repent.     And 
he  faid  unto  him,  if  they  hear  not  Mofes  and  the  pro- 
phets 


[      23      ] 

phets,  neither  will  they  be  perfuaded  though  one  rife 
i'rom  the  dead."  Nothing  fhort  of  dreadful  experience 
can  give  us  clearer  evidence  of  future  torments  than 
this  parable  ;  nor  afford  a  better  comment  upon  our 
Lord's  reprefentation  of  the  final  feperation  between  the 
righteous  and  the  wicked,  and  their  refpective  rewards 
and  puniihmeiKs  at  the  kit  day. 

There  is  one  thing  more  contained  in  the  text,  which? 
dderves  particular  notice,  and  that  iSj 

IV.  The  endlefs  duration  of  future  rewards  and' pu- 
flifhments.  "  Then  fliall  he  fay  alfounto  them  on  the  left 
hand.  Depart  from  me,  ye  curfcd,  into  ey^rlafling  fire, 
pre-pared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels.  And  thefe  fhall 
go  away  into  everlafting  pun&hment :  But  the  righteous 
into  life  eternal."  This  is  the  general  voice  of  fcripture. 
The  prophet  Daniel  fays,  "  Many  of  them  that  fleep  in 
the  dull  of  the  earth  fhall  awake,  fome  to  everlafting 
life,  and  fome  to  fhame,  and  everlafting  contempt."  The 
apoftle  Paul  aflerts,  that  "  the  Lord  Jefus  Chrift  fhall  be 
revealed  from  heaven,  with  his  mighty  aegels,  in  flam- 
ing fire,  taking  vengeance  on  thdm  that  kncny  not  God, 
and  that  obey  not  the  gofpel  of  our  Lord  Jefus  Chrift  : 
Who  (hall  bepunifhed  wnfo&verlafting  deft  ruction  from 
the  prefence  of  the  Lord,  and  from  the  glory  of  his 
power."  In  Rev.  2Oth,  3d,  the  apoltle  John  tells  us, 
M  He  faw  Satan  caft  into  the  bottomlefs  pit."'  This  epi- 
ther,  which  we  meet  with  no  lefs  than  fix  times  bcfidefr 
rn  this  book,  expreiTes  in  the  tlrongeil  manner  the  never- 
ending  miferies  of  the  wicked,  the  fmoke  of  whofc  icr- 
ments  is 'repeatedly  faid  to  afcend  forever  and  ever. 
Our  Lord  once  before  aflerted  the  etcrniry  of  future  pu- 
niihments  as  clearly  as  he  does  in  the  text.  '•  II  thy 
hand  ouend  ihee  cut  it  off:  lc  is  better  for  thee  t<* 


mto  life  maimed,  than  having  two  hands  to  go  into  hell, 
into  the  fire  that  never  (hall  be  quenched  :  Where  their 
worm  dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched.     And  if 
thy  foot  offend  thee,  cut  it  off:  It  is  better  for  thee  to 
enter  halt  into  life,  than  having  two  feet  to  be  caft  into 
hell,  into  the  fire  that  never  (hall  be  quenched  :  Where 
their  worm  dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched.  And 
if  thine  eye  offend  thee,  pluck  it  out :  It  is   better  for 
thee  to  enter  into  the   kingdom  of  God  with   one  eyef 
than  having  two  eyes   to  be  caft  into  hell-fire  :  Where 
their  worm  dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched."  In 
this  laft  paffage  the  eternity  of  hell-torments  is  expreffed 
i»  terms  which  admit  of  no  evafion.     Our  Lord's  argu- 
ment here  turns  upon  the  infinite  difparity  between  tem- 
poral and  eternal  pains.     Duration  is  the  only  point  to 
be  illustrated.     And  finite  is  here  fet  in  contraft  with  in- 
finite duration.     And  this  infinite  duration  is  exprefled 
by  a   variety  of  epithets,  'which  are,  of  all  others,  the 
mod  plain,  determinate  and  unexceptionable. 

As  to  the  words — eternal — everlafting — forever  and 
ever— they  generally  fignify  a  duration  which  is  abfo- 
lutely  boundlefs,  and  are  to  be  taken  fo  here,  unlefs  there 
be  fome  fpecial  reafon  for  re  finding  them  ro  a  limited 
duration.  When  they  are  applied  to  fubje&s  which 
are  in  their  e-wn  nature  temporary  ;  3his  naturally  leads  us 
to  underftand  them  in  a  limited  and  reftnded  fenfe.  but 
when  they  are  applied  to  the  fouls  of  men  which  are 
immortal,  the  fubjed  allows  us  to  interpret  them  in  their 
moft  comaion  and  extenfive  meaning.  The  fouls  of  the 
wicked  may  exift  as  long  as  the  fouls  of  the  righteous, 
and  therefore  the  tniteries  of  the  former  may  run  paral- 
lel with  the  happinefs  of  the  latter.  And  this  is  aflcrted 
in  the  text.  The  fame  word  in  the  original  is  ufed  to 

exprefs 


-csprefs  the  duration  of  future  punifhments,  which  is 
ufed  to  exprels  the  duration  of  future  rewards,  "  And 
thefe  flvall  go  away  into  everlafting  pnnifhment:  But  the 
righteous  into  life  eternal"  The  Greek  word  here  ren- 
dered eternal  and  everlaftrng,  is  rendered  fo  fifty-feven 
times  in  the  new-teftamfcnt;  and  there  are  but  two 
places  in  the  new-teftament,  where  the  word  eternal  or 
everlafting  conies  from  any  other  Greek  word.  The 
fame  Greek  word  is  likewife  ufed  both  in  the  old  and 
new  teftament,  to  fignify  the  eternity  of  the  divine  ex- 
iftence.*  And  the  Earl  of  Nottingham  hath  fhqwn, 
that  this  Greek  word  Cgnifies  eternity  in  the  writings 
of  Plato,  Ariftotle,  Plutarch,  and  the  beft  Greek  authors, 
and  that  they  have  no  better  word  in  their  language,  by 
which  to  exprefs  a  proper  eternity  or  endlefs  duration. f 
Indeed  Dr.  Hartley,  who  maintains  that  the  miferies  of 
the  damned  will  finally  ceafe,  allows  that  the  fcripture 
expreflions  concerning  the  eternity  of  hell-torments  are 
fttfficiently  plain  and  determinate,  and  would  eiiablifh 
the  point  if  any  mere  cxpreffions  could  poffibly  do  u, 
which,  however  heabfolutely  denies.  And  though  Mr. 
Seigvolk  and  others  fay,  the  Greek  words  which  the 
infpired  writers  here  made  ufekdf  to  exprefs  the  eternity 
of  future  punifhments,  only  fignify  an  age,  or  ages, 
or  ages  of  ages,  or  periodical  eternities  of  50,  100,  1000, 
2000  years  continuance,  yet  they  do  not  tell  us  what  other 
words  could  have  been  ufed  to  exprefs  an  ablolute  eter- 
nity with  more  certainty  and  precifipn,  or  more  to  their 
fatisfadion.  According  to  their  criticifms,  if  the  infpired 

G  writers 

*  Sec  Gen.  it,  23.  Ifaiah  40,  28,  and  26,  4,  and  57,  15.  PfaJm 
4^,  13,  and  90,  2,  and  93,  2,  and  106,  48.  Daniel  12,  7.  Rom. 
16,  16.  i  Tim.  i,  17. 

t  See  hi*  crihcifrr*  on  thofc  v/ords  in  his  anfwer  to  Mr.  Whiflon^ 
Ed.  9,  p,  36,  37,  38, 


C   26  ] 

writers  had  really  intended  to  afTert  the  endlefs • -duration.- 
of  future  punifhments,  they  could  not  have  done  it,  be- 
caufe  there  is  no  word  in  any  language,  which  primarily 
fignifies  an  abfolute  eternity.     But   thefe  and  all   other 
critics,  however,  are  obliged  to  own,  that  the  infpired 
writers  have  ufed  fuch   expreffions   as  fometimes  fignify, 
eternity  and  acknowledge  that  the  fenfe  of  fuch  expref- 
(ions  ought  to   be  determined  by  the  nature  of  the  fub- 
}e<5ls  to  yhich-  they   applied,    and   the  connection   in 
which  they  are  ufed.     Hence  there  appears  no  force  in. 
the  criticifms  which  have  been  made  upon  the  words,  by 
which  the  eternity  of  future  punilhmems  is  exprefled  in 
the  facred  oracles*    So  far  as  words,  or  mere  expreffions 
can  determine  the   matter,  it   is  abfolutely  certain,  that 
both  the  miferies  of  the   wicked,  and  the  heppinels  of 
the  righteous  will  run  parallel  with  the  interminable  age> 
of  eternity. 

Nor  is  there  any  thing  in  fcripture  or  reafon  to  take 
off  the  force  of  thefe  expreffions,  or  lead  us  to  imagine 
the  wicked  will  ever  be  releafed  from  punifliment  and 
reftored  to  the  divine  favour, 

i.  We  have  no  reafon  to  think  fo  from  the  nature  of 
fin.  All  allow  that  fin  and  guilt  are  infeperably  con- 
certed, and  therefore  that  every  fin  deferves  Jome  pu- 
nifhment. But  many  imagine,  that  no  tranfient,  mo- 
mentary aft  of  a  finite  creature  can  contain  fuch  malig- 
nity and  guilt,  as  to  delerve  an  eternal  punifhment  ;  and 
therefore  that  the  damned  rnuft  finally  be  releafed  from 
punifhment,  upon  the  foot  of  equity,  having  paid  the 
uttermoft  farthing  which  they  owed  to  divine  juftice. 
And  if  their  guilt  (hall  ever  ceafe,  we  may  be  affured 
tlieir  punifhment  will  alfo  ceafe,  for  the  Judge  of  all  tha 

earth 


[      27      1 

earth  will  do  right,  and  punifh  them  no  longer  than  they 
deferve.  But  who,  in  the  whole  circle  of  the  intelli- 
gent creation,  can  tell  us  when  their  guilt,  or  defert  of 
punifhment  will  ceafe  ?  Sin  and  guilt  are  infeperably 
connected.  Guilt  can  no  more  be  feperated  from  fin 
than  criminality.  There  is  no  fin  without  criminality, 
and  no  criminality  without  guilt,  or  defert  of  punifhment. 
Therefore  both  the  criminality  and  guilt  of  a  crime  muft 
continue  as  long  as  the  crime  continues,  or  till  it  ceafes 
to  be  a  crime  and  becomes  an  innocent  aftion*  But  can 
murder,  for  inftance,  which  is  ,a  crime  in  the  very  na- 
ture of  things,  ever  become  a  virtue  ?  Can  time,  or  obe- 
dience, or  Jufferings,  or  even  a  divine  declaration,  alter 
its  nature,  and  render  it  an  innocent  adlion  ?  Virtue  and 
vice,  fin  and  holinefs  are  founded  in  the  nature  of  things, 
and  fo  muflr  forever  remain  immutable.  Hence  that 
\vhich  was  once  virtuous,  will  forever  be  virtuous  ;  that 
which  was  once  vicious,  will  forever  be  vicious  ;  that 
which  was  once  praife-worthy,  will  forever  be  praife- 
worthy  ;  that  which  was  once  blame-worthy,  will  for- 
ever be  blame- worthy ;  and  that  which  once  deferved 
punifhment,  will  forever  deferve  punifhment.  Now  if 
neither  the  nature  of  fin  can  be  changed,  nor  the  guile 
of  it  taken  away,  then  the  damned,  who  have  once  de- 
ferved punifhment,  will  forever  deferve  it,  and  confe- 
quently  God  may,  in  point  of  juftice,  punifh  them  to 
all  eternity. 

2.  There  is  no  ground  to  cxpedl  that  thepunifhments 
of  the  damned  will  ever  foften  and  purify  their  hearts,, 
and  fo  prepare  them,  in  fome  diftant  period,  to  exchange 
the  regions  of  darknefs  for  themanfions  of  blifs,  Among 
others  Dr.  Hartley  and  Chevalier  Ramfay  build  their 
of  the  final  reftitution  of  all  lapfed  beings 

to 


to  the  divine  favor,  upon   this   foundation.     They  ima- 
gine the  piinifhmems  of  the  wicked  will  naturally  fofteu 
and  meliorate  their  hearts,   and  finally  qualify  them  lor 
the  fociety  and  enjoyments  of   the   blefled.     They  fup- 
pofe  God's  ultimate  view  in  punifhing  the  wicked  alter 
iieath  is  to  reclaim  them,  and  bring  them  to  good.  They 
look  upon  fiich  pcrfons  as  die  in  impenitence  and  unbe- 
lief as  peculiarly  ferverfe  and    obdurate^    whom    none  of 
the  mild  methods  of   providence   and    grace  could    ef- 
fe&ually  fubdue  and  reclaim  in  this  life,   and    therefore 
God  is  reduced  to  the    di (agreeable-  n-eceflity  of  purging 
and  purifying  them  by  the   harfh  and   ievere   means  of 
hell-torments.     They    imagine   God    conitamly    defires 
and  uniformly  puriues  the  happincfs  of  every  individual 
of  the  human  race,  and  will  bring  them  all  to  pure  and 
permanent  felicity  as  Toon  as  he  can  poffibly  do  it  con- 
fident with'  t\:eir  moral  freedom  and  inveterate  habits  of  fin. 
And  "  as  G<>d  cannot  be  eternally  fruftrated  in  his  dcfigns; 
as  finite  impotence,  folly  and  malice  cannot  forever  fur- 
mount  infinite  power,  wifdom  and  goodnefs  ;  as  the  fa- 
crifice  of  the  Lamb  flain  cannot  be  forever  void  and    of 
no  effcft  ;  reprobate  fouls  and  angels  cannot  be   forever 
unconvertible,    nor  God  unappeafeable,    nor  moral  and 
phyfical    evil   unde'ftrudlible.     Wherefore  infernal     pu- 
nifhments  muft  at  laft  ceafe,  and  all  lapfed    beings  be  a-t 
length  pardoned  and  re-e(lablifhed  in  a  permanent  ftate 
of  happinefs  and  glory,  never  more  to  fall  again.  This  is 
the  end  and  confummation  of  all  things,  and  the  defigns 
of  all  Godfs  promiles  and  punifhments." 

But  is  there  any  thing  in  divine  revelation  to  fupport 
this  hypothefis  ?  That  God  vifits  the  righteous,  in  this 
life,  with  pains,  trials  and  afflictions  for  their  f pi  ritual 
benefit,  he  hath  exprefly  told  us,  and  they  have  found 

to 


r  *?  i 

to  be  true  by  happy  experience.  "  My  fon,  defpife  not 
the  chaftening  of  the  Lord,  nor  faint  when  thou  arc  re- 
tuked  of  him.  For  whom  the  Lord  loveth  he  chaften- 
cth,  and  fcourgeth  every  fon  whom  he  rcceiveth.  Fur- 
thermore, we  have  had  fathers  of  our  flefh,  which  cor- 
Teded  us,  and  we  gave  them  reverence :  Shall  we  not 
much  rather  be  in  fubjeftion  unto  the  father  of  our  fpi- 
rits,  and  live  ?  For  they  verily  for  a  few  days  chaftened 
us  after  their  own  pleafure  ;  but  he  for  our  profit,  that 
we  might  be  partakers  of  bis  bolmefs"  And  David  grate- 
fully acknowledges  that  he  derived  real  benefit  frasn  the 
divine  corrections.  "  Before  I  was  affli&ed,  I  went  a- 
flray ;  but  now  have  I  kept  thy  word.  1  know,  O  Lord, 
that  thy  judgments  are  right,  and  thou  in  faithfulnefs 
hath  correfted  me."  Thus  God  lets  his  children  know 
the  falutary  nature  of  his  iatherly  chaftlfements.  But 
where  do  we  find  the  leaft  intimation  in  fcripture,  that 
God  intends  to  punilh  the  wicked  in  a  future  ftate,  lor 
their  benefit,  as  he  here  corrects  his  children  for  their 
fpiritual  good:  Hath  he  not,  on  the  contrary  cxprefly 
afTured  the  wicked,  that  he  intends  to  punifh  them,  after 
death,  not  to  fave,  but  deftroy  them,  not  to  exprefs  his 
love  towards  them,  but  his  indignation  and  wrath  ? 
This  is  the  plain  import  of  the  (encence  to  be  denounced 
againft  them  at  the  laft  day.  "  Depart  from  me  ye  curjcd, 
into  everlafting  fire,  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  an- 
gels." **  Vengeance  is  mine,  and  I  will  repay,  faith  th@ 
Lord."  "If  I  whet  my  glittering  fword,  and  mine  hand 
take  hold  of  judgment;  I  will  render  vengeance  to  mine 
enemies,  and  will  reward  them  that  bate  me."  "  What  if 
G  >d,  -willing  to  Jheiu  his  wrath,  and  make  his  power 
known,  endured  with  much  long  differing  the  vtjjeis  of 
-wrath  fitted  to  definition"  Here  the  wicked  after  death 
are  repreiented  as  the  enemies  of  God,  and  as  the.objofls 

H  of 


E     30     ] 

of  his  wrath;  and  he  is  reprefeiued  as   punifhing  then* 
to  reward  them  for  their  wickednefe,  and  to  expreis  his 
wrath  and  dilpleafuie   towards  them,  without   the  leaft 
regard  to   their  amendment  and  benefit.     But  if  future 
punifhments  were  intended  as   fatherly  chaiHlemtnts  to 
purify  the  wicked,  and  qualify  them  for  the  eternal  j°ys 
of  heaven,   why  are  they  then  reprefeiued  as  expnifiv-e 
of  divine  wrath,  indignation  and   vengeance,  initead  of 
the  tender  mercy  ol  God  towards  his  offending  but  be- 
loved offspring?  The   truth  is,  thcie   exprefiions   put  it 
beyond  doubt,  that  God  has  diametrically  oppofite  ends 
in  chaftlfing  the  righteous  in  this  life,  and  puniflhing  the 
\viaked   in  the  next.     Aad  we  may  be  a  flu  red  God  can 
and  will  make  his  own  means  anfwer  his  own  ends.     As 
lie  defigns  future  punifhments  (hall  not >  fofien^ut  harden* 
ihall  not  fave  but  deftroy  the  wicked  ;  fo  they  will  even- 
tually have   this,  and  no  other  effect  upon  them.     Ac- 
cordingly,  we  find  this  confirmed  by  the  mc-ft  incontef-- 
tible  evidence.     A  punifhraent  oi  near  fix  thcufand  years 
continuance   hath  hitherto,  in  no   meafut'C,  iiibdued  or 
fofuned  the  heart  of  Satan,  who  Hill  remains  an  avowed 
and    malignant  enemy   to  God  and    man.      The    flgnal 
pl-igues  fent  in    rapid  fucceilion    on  Pharaoh,  infteac)  of 
fc.ftening,  hardened  his  flubborn  heart,  and  made  him  fe- 
ven  fold  more  a  veilel  of  wrath  fitted  to  deftru£Hon,  GC» 
cording  to  the  divine  purpo/e   and  prsdi&ion   concerning 
him.     And  the  tremendous  judgments  which  fell  on  the 
fubjefts  of  Safan's  kingdom,  at  the   pouring  out   of  the 
fixth  vial  had  the  fame  hardening  <?ffeclaad  impreffion  on 
their  impenitent  hearts*     "  Tho   fifth  angel    poured  out 
his  via]    upon  the   faat  of  the  bead:-  And  his  kingdom 
was  full  of  darkncfs,  and  they  knawed  their  tongues  for 
pain,  and  blafphemed  the   God    of  heaven,   becaufe    of 
their  pains  aad  iheir  fores,  and  repented  not  of  their  deeds  "; 

Hence. 


[     31     } 

Hence  we  are  to  conclude  that  the  vials  of  divine  wrath 
to  be  poured  on  the  enemies  of  Chrift  at  the  laft  day, 
i-ltead  of  fohening  and  meliorating  iheir  hearts,  will 
only  ferve  to  confirm  and  increafe  their  malignant  dif- 
potitions,  to -render  them  more  odious  to  God,  ai*d 
more  unmeet  for  the  fociety  and  enjoyments  of  the  blef- 
fed  :  And  being  thus  eternally  unqualified  for  heaven, 
they  will  never  find  admiflion  into  thofe  realms  of  love 
and  unpolluted  blifs.  Befides^ 

3.  There  is  no  intimation  in  the  word'  of  God,  that 
thole  who  are  once  federated  from  the  righreous  at  the 
laft  day,  fhall  ever  be  united  to  them  again.  Our  text 
and  many  other  paffages of  fcripture  clearly  ascertain  the 
time,  manner  and  reafon  of  the  feperation  between  the 
righteous  and  the  wicked,  but  there  is  not  a  text,  to  be 
found,  which  intimates  when,,  how,  or  for  what  reafon 
they  fhall  be  re-united.  Every  reprefentation  of  the  ge- 
neral judgment  naturally  leac?s  us  to  fuppofe,  that  God 
will  then  finally  fettle  all  the  affairs  of  mankind,  and  ir- 
reverfably  fix  their  charters  and  conditions  for  eterni- 
ty. Accordingly  non-e  of  the  moft  able  wiit-ers,  that  we 
have  met  with,  in  favour  of  the  final  happinefs  of  all 
lapfed  beings,  have  prefumed  to  tell  us  'when  this  impor- 
tant event  fhall  take  place,  or  the  miferies  of  the  damned 
ithall  ceafe.  But  if  God  intended  to  releafe  them,  one 
would  imagine,  that  he  would  have  made  it  known  in 
his  word,  and  relieved,  them  from  that-  intolerable  def- 
pair,  to  which  they  may  now  be  liable  for  ages  of  ages, 
Why  fhould  he  fo  particularly  fix,  and  reveal,  arid  clef- 
cribe  the  day  when  their  pnnifhments  fhall  commence,, 
but  never  give  the  lea  ft  hint  concerning  the  time  and 
circumltances  of  their  releafe  ?  is  not  this  bare  filence  a 
itcong  prelumptioa  that  they  fhall  never  be  rdeafed,  and  a* 

full 


[     3*     ] 

full  demonftrauon  that  no  man  can  prwc  that  they 
•ver  will  ? 

N.  B.  This  Difcourfe   may  be  divided  here, 

NO  W  if  the  abo.ve  obfcrvations  have  fully  eftabl>ifhed 
the  eternity  of   future   punifhments,   then  we  are 
obliged  to  believe  the  doCtrine,  whether  we  can  a-nfwer 
all  the  objections  madd  againft  it,  or  not.     It  would  be 
very  abfurd  for  a  man  to  deny   his  own  exiftence,  the 
exiftence  of  his  fellow  creatures,  and  the  earth's  annual 
productions  of  herbs,  fruits  and  flowers,  becaufe,  after  all 
his  philofophical  refearches,  he  is  unable  to  Inveftigate 
the  mode  of  the  divine   operation  in  creation  and  provi- 
dence.    And  it  is  equally  abfurd  to  disbelieve  the  being 
of  God,  the  infpiration  of  the  fcriptures,   or   the  eternity 
ef  future  punifhments,  becaufe  there  may  be  feme  things 
eonneCted    with  thefe   fubjeCls,    which  lie    beyond  the 
fphere  of  human  comprehenfion.  It  is  not  the  intention 
of  thefe  obfervations,  however,  to  preclude  an  examina- 
tion of  any   objections  that  may  be  urged  againft   the 
eternity  ot  hell-torments,  or  any -other  doCtrine  of  the 
gofpel  ;  or   to  infinuate  that   we  are   bound  to    believe 
real  contradictions  and  abfurdities  ;  but  only  to  prepare 
the  mind  to  look  at  the  difficulties  which  we  propofe  to 
confider,  with  candour  and  impartiality  ;  and  lead  us  to 
reft  our  faith  upon  the  firm  foundation  of  real  evidence. 

It  is  faid,  that  "  by  the  feperation  between  the  fheep 
1  and  the  goats  in  the  text,  is  not  to  be  tinderftood  a  fe- 
"  peration  between  faints  and  finners,  but  only  a  fepera- 
"  tion  between  fin  and  the  finner.  The  fins  of  men  fhall 
ct  be  feperated  from  their  perfons,  and  their  perfons  fhall 
"  be  faved,  whilft  their  fins,  and  the  father  of  them,  the 

"  devil, 


[     33     3 

41  devil  fhall  be  deftroyed.*  This  our  Lord  teacheth 
"  in  the  parable  of  the  tares,  and  the  apodle  Paul  ac- 
M  knowledgeth  to  be  true,  when  he  fays,  fpeaking  of  hU 
*'  own  evil  conduit,  It  is  no  more  I  that  do  //,  'but  fin  that 
*'  divellsth  i*  me" 

In  anfwer  to  this,  it  is  eafy  to  obferve,  that  though  a 
fin-ner  may  become  a  faint,  and  a  faint  may  become  per- 
fectly holy,  or  free  from  ail  in-dweliing  fin  and  corrup- 
tion ;  yet  the  relation  between  him  and  his  paft  fins  can- 
not be  diffolved.  It  will,  for  inftance,  forever  remain 
true,  that  the  apoftle  Paul  perfecuted  the  church  of 
Chrift,  and  that  fin  will  always  be  his.  He  hath  never 
finned  fince  he  arrived  to  heaven,  and  never  will  fin 
again,  yet  the  connection  between  him  and  his  paft  fins 
will  forever  remain  and  be  /£//,  fo  as  to  enhance  his  own 
happinefs,  and  difplay  the  riches  of  divine  grace  to  wards 
him.  The  notion  therefore  that  fin  can  be  perfectly  dif- 
conne&ed  from  the  finner,  that  it  can  be  burnt  up,  de- 
ftroyed or  annihilated  is  a  grofs  abfurdity. 

Befides  our  Lord  tells  us  in  plain  terms,  that  by  fheep 
and  goats,  he  means  all  nations.  And  he  ufes  thefe  me- 
taphors in  the  fame  feufe  in  which  other  infpired  writers 
ufe  them;  Sheep  fignify  good  men,  and  goats  bad,  in 
many  other  places  of  fcripture.  f  But  if  any  one  would 
feel  the  abfurdity  of  fuppufing  that  goats  reprefenr  fins% 
lee  him  only  read  the  text  according  to  this  conftrudtion. 
fl  Then  fhall  he  fay  alfo  nwo  them  on  his  left  hand,  De- 
part from  me,  ye  curfiedySW,  into  everlafting  fire,  pre- 
pared for  the  devil  and  his  angels.  For  i  was  an-hun- 

I  gered 

See  alafe  catechifm,  which,  perhaps  injuriwfly,  c'aims  the  merit  of 
t  John  10,  15,  26,  27,  28,  79.     Dan,  8.    Zach.  10,  > 


[     34    1 

•s«. 

gered,  ami  ycjins  gave  me  no  meat:  I  was  thirfty* 
ye  fins  gave  me  no  drink:  1  was  a  itranger,  and  ye  fins 
took  me  not  in:  N^ked,  and  ye  fins  cloathed  me  not: 
Sick,  and  in  ptifon,  and  yc  fi*>s  vifired  me  not.  Then 
(hall  thofeyw  anh\er  him,  J<yjng9  &c."" 


It  is  objected  farther,  that    "  Chrift  as  mediator  was 

"  fo  united  to  mankind,   that  his  actions  were  theirs,  his 

"  obedience  theirs,  and  his  iuflcrings  theirs,    and  confe- 

"  quently  he   hath  as   fully    rcflorcd  the  whole  human 

"  race  to  the  divine  favour,  as   if  they   had   all    obeyed 

'*  and  iuffered   in  their  own   perfons.     The   divine  law 

"  now   hath  no  demands   upon  them,  nor  condemning 

<s  power   over   them.      Their   falvation   folely   depends 

"  upon   their   union  to  Chrift,    \\hich  God  conftiruted 

"  and  eftabliihed  before  the  \vorld  began.     And  by  vir- 

14  me  ol  that  union,  they  will  all  be  admitted  to  heaven, 

w  at  the  lad  day,  and  not  one  of-  Chrift's  members,  not 

11  one  of  Adam's  race  will  be   finally  loft."     Mr.  Rtlty 

fays,   *  Ci  Chrift  having  taken  on  him  the  feed  of  Abra- 

"  ham,  he  in  them,  and  tbtjr  in  him,   fulfilled  all  rightcc  uf- 

*{  ncfs,  obeyed  the  law,  and  underwent  the  penalty    for 

"  the  pall  tranfgreffion,  being  thus  mode  perftcl  in  one" 

*'  According  to  this  union^  or  being  in  him,  as  branches 

*'  in  the  vine,   as  members  in  the  body,  &c   the  people 

are  confidered  together  with  him  through  aH  the  cir- 
*  cumflances  of  his  birth,  life,  death,  reiurreclion   and 
6'  g^)ry*M  t     "  And  thus  confidering  the  whole  law  iul- 

filled  in  Jefiis.  its  precepts  obeycc4,  its  prtialties  endured, 

ht  now  inherits   the  promife  :   And   aj  pre-hcndif  g  our- 
in  him,   united  to  kim,  through  all  his  dotngs,  and 
his  condition,  and  flate  is  ours.     And   thui 

['  ftanding 

*  Trf  atife  ©a  union.    Bofton  Ed.  p.  is, 
f  P.  26, 


*c 


' 


1  [     35     ) 

**  fending  in  /5/w,  we  can  indeed  read  'the  law,  o'r  the 
"  doctrine  of  rewards,  and  punifhments,  without  har  : 
"  Becaule  the  punifhment,  yea  all  the  threatnings  in  che 
"  book  of  God,  have  been  executed  upon  us  (as  fmnens 
<4  and  Jaw-breakers)  in 


This  is  the  corner  flone,  this  is  the  fole  foundation 
which  Jupports  the  fcheme  of  univerfal  ialvation  as  main- 
tained by  Mr.  Relly,  Mr.  Murray,  and  their  followers. 
If  this  /hould  give  way,  their  whole  fabric  falls  to  the 
ground,  and  their  hopes  perifh.  We  (hall  therefore  con- 
fider  this  point  with  particular  attention. 

To  fuppofe  that  mankind  were  "  with  Chrift  through 
all  che  circumftances  of  his  birth,  life,  death,  relurree- 
tion  and  glory,"  is  repugnant  to  the  plaineft  dilates  of' 
common  fenfe.  Chrift  was  born  of  the  virgin  Mary;. 
was  circumcifexJ  the  eighth  day  ;  was,  at  thirty  years 
old,  baptised  of  John  in  Jordan  ;  was,  after  this,  led 
into  the  wildernefs,  where  he  failed  forty  days  and  forty 
nights,  and  baffled  all  the  devices  of  Satan  ;  and  being 
thus  prepared,  he  went  forth  preaching  thegofpel,  heal- 
ing the  ikk,  carting  out  devils  and  raifing  the  dead  ; 
till  finally,  he  was  betrayed  by  Judas,  condemned  by 
Pilate,  crucified  between  two  malefactors,  buried  by 
Jufeph  of  Arimathea,  and  after  lying  three  days  and 
three  nights  in  the  grave,  he  arofe  from  the  dead,  af- 
•cended  up  into  heaven,  and  fet  down  on  the  right  hand 
of  theJVIcijdly  on  high.  Were  any,  much  Ids,  the 
whole  human  race  with  (Thrill  in  ?11  thcfe  circumftanees 
of  his  birth,  life,  death,  relurredion  and  glory?  Where 
is  the  man  who  is  confciom  of  being;  acting,  and  luf- 
fenng  with  Chrift  in  any  of  thcfe  extraordinary  and  flu* 


40*. 


E    s*   3 

penclous  fcenrs?  But  had  there  been  fuch  an  union  be- 
tween Chrift  and  mankind,  that  his  obedience  was 
theirs,  his  fufferings  theirs,  and  his  glory  theirs,  they 
niuft  all,  in  every  age  of  the  world,  be  conlcious  of 
having  the  fame  motives,  the  fame  affections,  the  lame 
forrows,  and  the  fame  joys  that  he  had  ;  and  of  doing 
the  fame  miraculous  actions  that  he  did.  But  what  con- 
cord had  Chrift  with  Belial?  What  union  of  heart  with 
an  ungodly  world?  Was  he  not  pure,  and  harmlefs,  and 
feperate  fro;m  Tinners,  through  the  whole  courfe  of.  hi* 
life  and  conduct  upon  earth  ? 

It  may,  perhaps,  be  faid  that  this  is  an  unfair   reprc- 
fentation  of  the  matter,  and  that  by    "  Chrift's  being  in 
mankind,  and   they   being  in    him,"   is   only  intended, 
that  according  to  a  certain  divine  conftirution,  God  con- 
fiders  what  Chrift  did  and  -fuffered  as  being  done  and  fuf- 
fered  by  mankind    perfonally.      The  anfwer   to   this   is 
obvious.     No  divine  conftitution  or  appointment  what- 
ever, could  make  Chrift's  perfonal  obedience  and  fuffeF- 
ings  ours.     A  divine  conftitution  cannot  alter  the  jiature 
of  things,  nor  effeft  impoilibilities.     Can   we   conceive 
that  it  is  now  in  the  power  of  the  Supreme  Being,  by  a 
new,  pofitive  conftitution,  to  make  Chrift   the  betrayer 
©t  Judas,  the  crudfier  of  his   crucifiers,  and  the  perpe- 
trator of  all  the  fin  and  wickednefs  of  the  whole  human 
race  ?  But  it  is  no  more  impoffible  for  God  to  do  this  now, 
than  it  was  from   eternity,  to  make   a   conftitution,  by 
xvhich,  not  only  the  actions  of  Chrift  and  of  Judas,  but 
the  aftions  of  Chrift  and  of  aH   mankind   fhuuld    be  the 
fame.     The  fuppofition  of  a  divine  conftitution  relieves 
no  difficulty  here.     The  notion  that   all   mankind  were 
84  with  Chrift  through  all  the  circumftances  ol  his  birth, 
life,  death,  refurre&ion  and  glory,'1  is  as  abfurd   as  the 

dodtiae 


I    37    1 

lfo#riti]«  of  franfubftantia'tion,  of  which  no  man  csi* 
form  an  idea. 

And  befides  al!  this,  it  is  entirely  unfcriptural.  It  i$ 
not  to  be  found  among  any  of  the  unions  which  arc 
jnentioned  in  the  bible.  We  there  find  indeed  the  union 
between  the  human  and  divine  natures  in  the  perfon  <?{ 
the  Mediator.  Chrift  often  aflerted  both  his  humanity 
and  divinity.  He  proclaimed  himlelf  not  only  the  Son 
*>f  Man,  but  the  Son  of  God;  and  profefied  to  be  not 
only  David's  Son,  but  David's  Lord.  Accordingly,  the 
Jews,  who  underftood  the  true  import  of  fuch  phrafes, 
considered  him  as  afTuming  divinity  and  equality  with 
God  the  Father ;  for  which  they  accufed  him  of  the 
crime  of  blafphemy.  And  our  Lord,  to  vindicate  him- 
felf,  never  denied,  but  maintained  his  claim  to  the  laft ; 
which  claim  was  founded  upon  the  union  between  his 
human  and  divine  nature;  Hence  the  apoftle  John  tells 
us,  "  The  word  was  made  flefh  and  dwelt  amongft  us." 
And  we  read,  "  Great  is  the  myftery  of godlinefs;  God 
manifeft  in  the  flefh/'  Such  an  union  of  the  two  wa-tures 
in  the  perfon  of  Chrift,  was  necefiary  to  qualify  him  for 
the  work  of  redemption.  For  the  divine  nature  fepe- 
rately  confidered,  could  neither  fuffer,  nor  obey;  and 
the  human  nature  feperate  from  the  divine,  could  not 
atone  by  obedience  and  death;  but  both  thefe  natures 
being  united  in  the  perfon  of  Chrift  compleatly  qualified 
him  for  the  mediatorial  work.  Befides,  this  union  was 
alfo  requifue  in  order  to  point  out  the  obje&s  for  whom 
he  made  atonement.  He  would  appear  to  die  for  thofe, 
in  whofe  nature  he  died.  Had  he  took  upon  him  the 
nature  of  angels,  and  died  in  their  nature,  this  would 
l  have  proclaimed  him  the  Mediator  betwecen  God  and 
them.  Bat  inafmuch  as  he  did  not  take  upon,  him  the 

K  nature 


[     38     I 

nature  of  angels,  but  that  of  the  feed  of  Abraham,  this 
proclaimed  him  the  Mediator  between  God  and  man* 
No/  if  Mr.  Relly  had  only  aflerted  the  nectffity  ol  iuch 
an  union  as  this,  in  order  to  render  the  fuflerings  of 
Chrift  in  the  room  of  mankind,  confident  with  the  di- 
vine attributes,  we  fhould  have  had  no  difpofhioh  to 
diflent  from  him.  For  we  grant  it  would  have  been 
inconfiftent  with  the  divine  truth,  juiiice,  mercy,  wi(- 
dom  and  love,  to  have  fubjecled  Chrift  to  ihofe  luffer- 
ings  which  he  endured  in  the  room  of  finners,  had  he 
not  been  united  to  human  nature,  and  fo  become  the 
Mediator  between  God  and  man.  But  Mr.  Kelly  over- 
looking this  union  between  Chrift  aiid  innocent  human 
nature,  maintains  that  Chrift  was  united  to  fiuful  wan, 
and  -partook  of  their  guilty  and  on  that  account  de/erved  to 
iuffer,  in  point  of  juftifa.*  In  this  view  nncleed,  the 
fufferings  of  Chrift  appear  perfectly  jufl,  but  not  in  the 
lead  degree  meritorious,  for  there  can  be  no  met  it  in  fuf- 
Jering  a  jufl  punijkment.  So  that  had  it  been  poffible  for 
fuch  an  union  to  have  exifted  as  Mr.  Relly  pleads  for, 
it  would  have  defeated  the  ends  of  Chrift's  death,  and 
prevented  an  atonement  for  fin. 

The  fcriptnre  like  wife  mentions  an  union  between 
Chrift  and  the  cleft*  A  certain  number  of  mankird 
were  chofen  to  falvarion  from  eternity,  and  given  to 
Chrift,  in  the  covenant  of  redemption,  as  then  ward  of 
his  lufferi-ngs.  'Thefe  are  called  the  c.'ttf,  or  the  ckmch, 
and  often  alluded  to  in  fcripture,  particularly  in  tl»r  fol- 
lowing pgffages.  /'  Bleffed  be  the  God  and  Father  of 
rur  Lord  Jelus  Chrift,  who  hath  bltfled  us  with  all  fpi- 
riru^l  bl<  flings  in  heavenly  places  in  Chrift  •  accotc'ir-g 
as  he  hath  chokn  us  /a  blm%  before  the  louuclarii  D  of 

the 

*  Fa^«  3)  4>  5>  & 


the  world,  that  we  fhould  be  holy  and  without  blame 
before 'him  in  love."  *'  Be  thou  partaker  of  the  afflic- 
tions of  the  gofpel,  according  to  the  power  of  God  ; 
who  hath  faved  us,  and  called  us  with  an  holy  calling, 
not  according  to  our  works,  but  according  to  his  own 
purpofe  and  grace,  which  was  given  us  in  Chrift,  before 
the  world  began/'  "  Ye  alfo,  as  living  ftoncs,  are  buik 
Up  a  fpiritual  houfe,  an  holy  priefl'hood,  to  offer  up  fpiritual 
facrifices,  acceptable  to  God  by  Jefus  Chrift.  Where-  ' 
fore  al(o  it  is  contained  in  the  fcripture,  behold  I  lay  in 
Zion  a  chief  corner  ftone,  t left  precious ;  and  he  that  be- 
jieveth  on  hi-m  (hall  not  be  confounded.  Unto  you 
therefore,  who  believe,  he  is  precious:  But  unto  them 
who  are  difobedient,  the  ftone  which  the  builders  difal- 
lowed,  the  fame  is  made  the  head  of  the  corner;  and  a 
ftone  of  ftumbling,  and  a  rock  of  offence,  even  to  them 
who  ftumbleat  the  word,  being  difobedient,  ivherettnto 
elfo  they  were  appointed.  But  .ye  are  a  chofen  generation, 
a  royal  pricftbwd,  an  holy  nation,  a  peculiar  people/' 
Thtfe,  and  many  other  puffjges  uf  fcripture  fpeak  of 
the  eleil,  and  fpeak  of  them  as  peculiar,  and  diftinfl  from 
the  reft  of  mankind.  All  the  world  are  not  the  cleft, 
but  the  cleft  are  thofe  who  from  eternity  were  chofen 
out  of  the  world,  and  who  are  reprdtnted  in  fcripture, 
as  entirely  diftinft  from  the  world.  Our  Lord  hath 
taken  care  to  fix  and  determine  this  matter  with  great 
precifion.  He  fays  in  the  24th  of  M it  the  ,v,  u  And  many 
falre  prophets  (hall  arife,  and  flu II  deceive  many,  and  (hall 
fhew  great  figns  and  wonder?,  informk'h  that  ^if  it  were 
poffible)  they  (hall  deceive  the  very  e'eft  "  Here  the 
tied  are  diftinc/t  from  therapy  that  were  to  be  deceived. 
Again,; in  the  ijth  of  J->hn.  Child  tclH  his  followers, 
*  If  the  -world  hate  you,  ye  know  if  hated  me  before  it 
hated  you*  If  ye  were  of  the  world,  the  world  would 


love  his  ovrn  :  But  becaufe  ye  are  not  of  the  world,  but 
I  have  chtfen  you  out  of  the  world,  therefore  the  world 
hareth  you/'  in  the  -i^th  chapter,  he  hath  thefe  ex- 
preffions.  "  I  have  manift.fted  thy  name  unto  the  men 
-which  ihoti  gaveft  me  out  of  the  ivorld.  I  have  giVln 
them  thy  word  ;  and  the  world  bath  hated  them,  becaufe 
they  are  not  of  the  -world,  even  as  I  am  not  of  the  world." 

Now  as  the  eled  were  chofen  to  falvation  from  eter- 
nity, in  Chrift,  as  the  means,  and  for  Chrift,  as  the  reward 
of  his  fufferings  and  death  ;  fo  it  may  be  truly  faid,  that 
there  hath  been  a  certain  union  or  connexion  between 
Chrift  and  the  elc&  from  eternity.  But  beGdes  this,  there 
is  another  more  intimate  and  vital  union  between  Chrift 
and  the  e!e£t3  which  commences  in  time  \  but  (hall  en- 
dure forever.  For  whom  God  predeftinates,  them  he 
alfo  calls  ;  and  whom  he  calls,  them  he  alfo  juftifies  ; 
and  whom  he  juftifies,  them  he  alfo  glorifies.  Hence, 
fays,  the  apoftle,  (peaking  of  the  fuccefs  of  his  labours 
among  the  Gentiles,  c<  As  many  as  were  ordained  to  eternal 
hfe,  believed"  All  the  eled  are  brought  in  this  life,  by 
the  influences  of  the  divine  Spirit,  to  repentance  and 
faith.  And  in  faith,  this  vital  union  to  Chrift  com- 
mences. The  believer  then  becomes  united  to  Chrift 
in  his  affefttortf,  views,  and  inter  efts.  He  loves  what 
Chrift  loves,  and  hates  what  Chrift  hates.  He  has  the 
lame  views  of  the  divine  Majefty,  of  the  divine  law,  of 
fin,  and  of  himfelf,  that  Chrift  has.  And  he  has  a  joint 
intereft  with  Chrift  in  the  love  of  God,  in  the  protections 
of  providence,  and  in  all  the  bleffings  which  refult  from 
the  work  of  redemption.  This  union  is  of  the  lame  na- 
ture with  that  which  fubfifts  between  Chrift  and  his  Fa- 
ther. Accordingly  he  prays,  in  the  lyth  of  John,  that 
this  union  might  commence,  in  tune,  between  him  and 

thofe 


E  4«   3 

thofe  whom  his  Father  had  given  him  from  eternity, 
1*  Neither  pray  I  for  thefe  alone,  but  for  them  alfo  who 
/hall  believe  on  me  through  their  word  ;  that  they  all 
may  be  one;  as  thou,  Father,  art  ki  me,  and  1  in  thee, 
thar  they  may  alfo  be  one  in  us"  This  union  makes  the 
prin-dpal  figure  in  the  facred  writings,  and  is  oftener  al- 
luded to  there  than  any  other.  It  is.  on  account  of  this 
union,  that  faints  or  believers,  in  diftin&ion  from  the 
world,  are  faid  to  die  with  Chrift,  to  be  crucified  with 
Chrift  ;  to  be  buried  with  Chrift  ;  to  be  quickened  with 
Chrift  ;  to  ri/e  with  Chrift  ;  to  live  with  Chrift ;  to  be 
circtimcifed  with  Chrift  j  to  be  bsptifed  with  Chrift  ;  to 
be  compleat  in  Chrift ;  to  be  members  of  his  body,  of  his  fleffi, 
and  of  his  bones.  And  it  is  on  account  of  this  union,  that 
Chrift  and  the  church  are  fo  often  prefigured  and  repre- 
fented  by  the  various  metaphors  of  Adam  and  Eve ;  of 
Adam  and  his  pofterity  ;  of  the  hulband  and  wife  ;  of 
Aaron  and  his  robes;  of  the  vine  and  its  branches;  of 
the  head  and  its  members ;  and  of  the  corner  ftone  and 
fuperftrufture, 

Thefe  unions,  which  we  have  now  mentioned  and 
.  defcribed,  are  the  only  ones  refpe<5Ung  Chrift  and  men, 
that  are  to  be  found  in  the  facred  oracles.  And  thefe 
are  fo  far  from  bearing  the  leaft  affinity  to  that  union 
between  Chrift  ancl  all  mankind,  which  Mr.  Reliy 
pleads  for,  that  they  are  utterly  inconfiUent  with  it,  and 
fubverfive  of  it.  If  thefe  be  true,  that  muft  be  falfe. 
And  if  thefe  be  true,  thereto  one  or  other  of  them,  muft 
every  paffage  of  fcripture,  which  fpeafos  of  men's  union 
to  Chrift,  neceffarily  refer;  and  of  courfe,  leave  Mr, 
Kelly's  notion  of  union  as  deftitute  of  all  fupport  from 
divine  revelation,  as  from  reafon  and  common  fenfe. 

L  But 


But  it  may  be  ftlli  urged  ia  favour  of  the  aniver&i 
fclvation  of  mankind,  chat  "  Chriit  tafted  death  for  eve- 
"  ry  man,  and  made  full  atonement  for  the  fins  of  the 
"  whole  world.  And  it  is  prepofterous  to  imagine  that 
w  any  of  thofe  who  have  been  redeemed  by  the  precious 
«  blood  of  the  fon  of  God,  fhould  be  finally  loft."  I 
anfwer, 

Firft,  this  objection  fuppofcs  that  God  is  obliged,  in 
juftice%  to  fave  all  mankind.  Therefore, 

Secondly,  it  fuppofes  that  mankind  ftand  in  no  need 
of  divine  forgiven  f/s.  For  if  the  price  of  redemption 
which  Chrift  hath  paid,  hath  fully  difcharged  the  debt 
which  finners  owed  to  God,  then  they  now  owe  hi'm 
nothing,  and  if  they  owe  him  nothing,  they  have  no- 
thing to  be  forgiven  ;  and  therefore  can  never  with  pro- 
priety ufe  that  petition  in  the  Lord's  prayer,  "  Forgive 
us  our  debts  as  we  forgive  our  debtors/'  Wherefore, 

Thirdly,  there  can  be  no  grace  difplayed  in  the  falva- 
tion  of  finners,  by  the  gofpel.  For  if  they  all  deferve 
to  be  faved,  it  is  an  aft  of /»/?/«-,  but  not  of  grace,  for 
God  to  fave  them,  Though  the  apoftle  indeed  tells  be* 
1-ievers  that  they  are  "juftified/r«r/p£)'  his  grace,  through 

the  redemption  that  is  in  Jefus  Chrift."     But, 

» 

Fourthly,  this  objection  is  entirely  founded  in  a  mif- 
spprehenfion  of  the  nanire  of  Chrift's  atonement.  It 
was  not  the  intention  of  Chrift,  by  his  obedience  and 
death,  to  make  void  the  law,  to  alter  the  nature  of  fin, 
to  move  God  in  mercy^  or  oblige  him,  in  jfftice,  to  fave 
finners;  for  all  this  was  impoffible.  But  his  defign  toas, 
to  eflablifv  the  law,  to  condemn  fin  in  the  fiefh,  and  main- 
tain the  dignity  of  the  divine  character  and  government^ 

and 


E     43     ] 

and  thereby  open  A  door  for  the  difplay  of  'divint*  mer- 
cy and  lorgivenefs  towards  a  perifhing  world.  The 
death  of  Chrift  indeed  hath  removed  all  the  obstacles, 
•which  before  flood  in  the  way  of  the  exercife  of  divine 
mercy  >  and  that  is  all.  God  is  no  more  obliged,  m 
-point  cfju/iice,  to  fave  finners,  than  if  Chrift  had  never 
died,  and  made  atonement  for  fin.  If  God  f&ves  any 
of  the  human  race  now,  it  is  an  a  61  of  mere  grace%  and 
Bot  of  juftice.  Hence  the  extent  of  Chrift's  atonement 
does  not  in  the  leaft  determine,  whether  more  or  lefs, 
whether  a  part  or  the  whole  of  mankind  will  finally  be 
faved.  This  can  be  determined  only  by  the  divine  de- 
clarations >  and  gracious  promi/es  to  Chrift,  which,  as  we 
have  Ihown,  all  concur  to  reprobate  the  notion  of  uni~ 
verfal  falvation. 

It  is  faid  by  fonre,  that  "  God  being  from  eternity 
M  perfefljy  and  independently  bleffed,  could  have  no 
'"•other  motive  in  giving  being  to  his  creatures  than 
**  their  good)  and  of  conicqucnce,  hemuft  infallibly  bring 
"  them  all,  fooner  or  later,  to  a  Hate  of  perled  happi- 
w  neis." 

Though  this  objection  is  not  void  of  plaufibility,  yet 
it  feems  to  carry  lomething  in  it  extremely  abfurd  and 
difhonorable  to  the  divine  Majerty.  For  the  Supreme 
Being  to  have  himfelf  entirely  out  of  view  in  all  his 
works,  and  to  make  every  thing  in  the  univerfe  folely 
fubfervient  to  the  good  of  the  creature,  looks  like  fetting 
the  creature  above  the  infinitely  great  Jehovah  !  Befides, 
if  the  Deky  aims  folely  at  the  good  of  the  creature, 
why  fhould  not  the  creature  aim  folely  at  his  own  goodr 
and  make  his  own  happinefs  the  fcle  object  of  all 
ddkes  and  puriuhs  ?  And  why  Ihould  God 


t    44    3 

him,  if  in  the  pnrfuit  of   this  object,  he  cafls 
reftrains    prayer,    and   loves    and    ferres  the  creature 
more    than    the   Creator  ?     Moreover,    if  the    Divine 
Being  aims  folely  at  the  good  of  every  individual  perfon, 
why  hath  he  not    made    every  man    perfectly  happy 
through    every  ftage  and  period  of  his  ex i (fence  ?  Why 
hath  he  made  this  world  an  Aceldema,  a  field  of  blood, 
and  fcene  of  every  evil,  where  men  are  born  to  trouble 
as  the  {parks  fly  upward?  Why  hath  he   not   rather 
poured  one  continued,  uninterrupted  ftream  of  happinefs 
upon  #/,  as  he  hath  upon  the  angels  above,  who  have 
never  felt  one  fenful   paffion,  nor  one  fainful  fenfation 
flnce  their  exiftence?  Perhaps  it  will  here   be  faid,  that 
though  God  aims  folely  at  the  good    of  the  intelligent 
creation  in  general,  yet  this  does  not   neccflarily  imply 
that  he  muft  conftantly  feek  and  promote  the  good  of  eve- 
ry individual.     We  grant  it,  and  abide  the  confequence, 
which  is  this.     If  the  good  of  the  intelligent  creation  in 
general,  may  fametimes,  require  God  to  give  up  the  good 
of  individuals*  then  it  may,  for  aught  we  know,    require 
him    to   give    up    the   good    of   individuals  forever.    If 
the  general  good   of  mankind    once  required  the  tem- 
poral   definition    of  Pharaoh    and    his    hofls,    who 
knows    but   the  general  good  of  the    whole   intelligent 
creation,    may     alfo    require    their   eternal  deftruftion  ? 
Therefore  allowing  that  God  does,  in  this  fenfe,  aim 
fnpremely  and  folely  at  the  general  gsod  of  the   intelli- 
gent creation,  yet  he  may  neverthelefs  make   myriads 
and  myriads  of  individuals  finally  and  eternally  miferable. 

There  is,  however,  no  reafon  to  think  that  God  hadf 
from  eternity,  no  other  view  in  all  his  works  of  creation 
and  providence,  than  the  general  good  of  the  created  fy- 
fterau  This  fuppofuion  feems  to  originate  from  a  falfc 

conception 


t    45    ] 

conception  of  the  nature  and  bleftJnefs  of  the  Divine 
Being.  God  is  not  an  infinite  Intelligence,  who  is  per- 
fe&ly  deftitute  of  z\\propenfions.  He  is  not,  as  the  Epi- 
curians  dream,  an  infinite  Stoic,  who  is  entirely  unaffec- 
ted with,  and  indifferent  to,  all  created  and  uncreated 
obje&s.  But  he  is  a  Being  of  infinitely  clear  views,  of 
infinitely  wife  defigns,  and  of  infinitely  ftrong  propenjities 
and  affefthns.  And  the  perfeft,  undifturbed,  eternal  gra-  ' 
lification  of  all  thefe,  is  abfolutely  effential  to  his  infinite, 
immutable  bleffednefs.  Though  God  was  indeed  per- 
feftly  blefled  from  eternity,  independently  of  his  crea- 
tures, yet  not  independently  of  his  own  views,  purpofes 
and  affe&ions.  Could  we  only  luppofe  it  poffible,  that 
God's  purpofes  and  defjgns  fhould  now  be  erafed  from 
his  mind* or  that  he  fhould  now  find  himfelf  unable  to 
carry  them  into  execution,  this  would  prove  an  eternal 
diminution  of  the  divine  bleflednefs.  But  fince  known 
unto  God  are  all  his  works  from  the  beginning ;  fince 
they  have  always  flood  prefent  to  his  view,  as  fully  ac- 
complifhed,  they  have  been  an  eternal  fource  of  ineffable 
fatisfa6tion,  fell-complacency  and  delight.  Now  if  Gpd 
be  capable  of  great  and  noble  defigns,  if  he  be  capable  of 
great  and  noble  exertions,  and  capable  of  taking  a  true, 
rcal%  infinite  pleafure  and  delight  in  all  his  works,  then  it  is 
eafy  to  conceive  that  he  might  make  his  own  pleojure* 
hif  own  blejjednefs  or  glory  the  grand  and  fupreme  objeft 
in  all  his  works  of  creation  and  providence,  and  have 
but  an  inferior  and  fubordinate  refpecfl  to  the  good  of 
the  creature.  Accordingly  the  fcripture  reprefents  this 
as  his  ultimate  and  fupreme  end  in  the  creation  of  the 
world,  "  The  Lord  hath  made  all  things  for  himfelf  ; 
yea,  even  the  wicked  for  the  day  of  evil."  Prov.  1 6.  4. 
The  apoftle  fays,  that  "of  him,  and  through  him,  and 
to  him  are  all  things."  Rom,  iz.  36.  And  it  is  the 

M  general 


general  voice  of  heaven,  "  Thou  art  worthy,  O  Lord;, 
to  receive  gl^ry,  and  honor,  and  power;  tor  thou  haft 
created  all  things,  and  for  thy   *P  LEISURE,  they 
are  &nd  were  created."    Befides,   the   whole  courfe  of 
providence  from  the  beginning  to  this  day,  clearly  de- 
monftrates  that  God  hath  fought  his  own  glory  fupreme- 
ly,  and  the  good  of  the  creature  but  fubordinately  in  all 
his  conduct     He  expelled  the  rebel  angels  from  heaven, 
deflroyed  the  old  world,  and  burnt  up  Sodom  and  Go- 
morrah, not  for  the ir  gvod,  but  for  his  own  glory,     And 
we  know   the   perdition  of  Pharaoh  and  ol  Judas   was 
not  defigned  for  their  good ',  fince  Chrift  hath   laid  of  the 
one,  that  it  had  been  good   for  him,  if  he   had   never 
been  born,  and  God  hath  told  us,  he  raifed  up  the  other, 
that  his  name  might  be  declared  throughout  aH  the  earth. 
Hence  the  fuprcme  and  ultimate  ends  of   the   Deity  in 
the  creation  of  the  world,  ciford  no  evidence  in  favour 
of  the  universal  faivation  of  the  human  race.     It  may  be 
confident   with  God's  original  and   eternal  defigns,    for 
aught   we  know,  to  continue  the  miferies  of  tht  dam- 
ned to  all  eternity. 

We  often  hear  the  infinite  love  and  mercy  of  the  De- 
ity pathetically  urged  as  an  irrefragable  argument  againft: 
the   eternity   of   future   punifhments.     It  is  faid,    "this 
"  doftrine  reprefents  the  divine  benevolence  as  far  below 
11  the  pity  and  companion  that  are  found  in  the  human 
1  heart.     A  parent's  love  cannot   endure   the   thought 
J  that  the  dear  offspring   of  his  own  bowels   fhould   be 
"  made  fuel  for  quenchlefs  flames.     And   the  moft  ma- 
"  levolent   man   on   earth  does   not   even  wijh  that  his 
"  worft  enemy  fhould  lie  down   in  eternal  forrow,  and 
*  dwell  with  everlafting   burnings.     Much  lefs  can  the 
r*  kind  parent  of  the  univerfe,  who  is  good   unto  sA\i: 

."  and 


[    47    1 

"  and  whofe  tender  mercies  are  over  all  his  works,  find 
"  it  in  his  heart  to  doom  any  of  the  human  race  to  the 
"  pains  of  hell  forever" 

This  objection  appears  ro  be  rather  an  addrefs  to  the 
fofc  and  tender  paffions  of  human  nature,  than  an  appeal 
to  the  cool  and  impartial  dictates  of  right  rcafon.     The 
weaker  paffions  of  our  animal  nature,  recoil  in  the  view 
of  thofe  ads  of  public  juftice,  which,  our   reafon,  our 
conference,  and  our  real  benevolence  approve,  and  which 
the  divine  authority  hath  abfolutely  required.     But  who 
would  hence  conclude  that  oyr  love  and  compofllon  tran- 
fcend  the  tender  mercies  of  the  Deity  ?  Did   not   Noah 
preach  an  hundred  and   twenty  years  to  a  ftupid   and 
impenitent  world  ?  Did  he  not  offer  up   ftrong.  prayers 
and  cries  to  the  Father  of  Mercies,  that  he  would  gra- 
cioufly  avert  the  dire  deftruftion  which  hung  over  their 
guilty  heads  ?•  And  did  he  not  "rife  in  fervor  and  impor- 
tunity, as  die  period  of  their  day  of  grace  and  fpace   of 
repentance  drew  nigh  ?  How   then   mult  he   have   felt 
when  he  flood  a  fpeftator  of  their  final  doom  !  Who 
can  defcribe  or  conceive  the  tender  emotions  of  his  heart, 
the  painful  conflicts  and  tumults  of  his  breaft,  when  the 
tremendous  fcene  opened  to  his  view  !  When  he  beheld 
the  rains  falling,  the  fountains  of  the  great  deep  break- 
ing up,  and    all  nature   in    convulfions;  and   heard  the 
waves  roaring,  and  a  guilty  world,   duy  after  day,  cry- 
ing, and  praying,  and   rending   the   heavens  with  their 
lall,  expiring   groans!  But  (hall  we   imagine   that   God 
was  equally  flocked  on    this  folemn  occafron  !  No  !  He, 
(if  we  may  be  allowed  the  companion)  flood,  like  Bru- 
tus, with  ftern  jultice.  on  his  countenance,  and  beheld 
his  beloved,  but  guilty  offspring  receive  the  due  reward 
of  their  deeds. 

Wkh 


C    48   ] 

With  what  fervent  importunity  did  Abraham  befecch 
the  Moft  High  to  fpare  the  devoted  cities  of  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah  ?  And  next  morning,  when  he  repaired  to 
the  place  where  he  had  flood  and  prayed  before  the 
Lord,  and  looked  towards  Sodorn  and  Gomorrah,  and 
towards  all  the  land  oi  the  plain,  and  beheld,  and  Jo,  the 
fmoak  of  the  country  went  up  as  the  fmoak  of  a  furnace, 
how  did  it  awaken  every  tender  feeling  of  humanity  and 
benevolence  ?  But  who  will  hence  conclude  that  the 
Father  of  Mercies  had  lefs  love  and  compaffion  towards 
the  workmanfhip  of  his  own  hands,  than  Abraham  ? 
Hence  nothing  but  our  danger  can  equal  our  delufion, 
if  we  imagine  the  Divine  Being  to  be  altogether  fuch  an 
one  as  ourfelves,  and  judge  of  the  divine  clemency  by 
our  own.  What  if  Noah,  what  if  Lot  had  done  fo  ! 
What  if  Noah  had  faid,  "  I  know  the  world  is  become 
univcrfally  corrupt.  I  know  the  earth  is  filled  with 
violence.  I  know  God  hath  told  me  his  patience  is  li- 
mited to  one  hundred  and  twenty  years.  But  1  know 
myown  heart  recoils  at  the  thoughts  of  their  deftruAion, 
and  it  is  my  fincere  defire  and  prayer  to  God  that  they 
might  be  faved.  And  I  alfo  know  God  is  infinitely  more 
kind,  and  gracious,  and  merciful  than  1  am.  I  will 
therefore  negleft  the  ark,  and  build  my  houfe  on  the 
fand,  and  fear  no  evil."  But  behold !  the  floods  come, 
the  winds  blow,  and  the  ftorms  beat  on  his  houfe,  and 
it  falls,  and  great  is  the  fall  of  it  !  What  if  Lot  had  con- 
fidered  the  divine  threatnings  as  a  mere  mockery,  like 
his  fbns-in-law,  would  he  not  have  perifhed  with  them 
in  the  ruins  of  Sodom  ?  And  is  it  not  equally  dangerous 
to  reafon  in  the  fame  manner  now,  againft  the  threat- 
nings of  the  wrath  to  come  ? 

But  dill,  fays  the  obje&or,  is  not  God  a  God  of  love  ? 

and 


C    49    3 

and  is  it  the  nature  of  love  to  punifh,  especially  its  be- 
lored  objedls?    I  anfwer,  yes;  it   is   the  genuine  ten- 
dency of  true  love,  under  certain  circumflances  to  pu- 
-mfh.     True  love  to  his  child,  induces  the  kind  and  in- 
dulgent parent  to  ufe  the  rod  of  -correction  for  his  good. 
So  fays  Solomon,  "  He  that  fpareth  his  rod,   haterh  his 
fon,   but  he  that  hveth  him,    chafteneth  him  betimes." 
So  whom  the    Lord    loveth  he  chafteneth.     4<  But  this 
Breaches  not  the  cafe,"  replies  the  objeftor.    "  I  can  eafi- 
11  ly  conceive  that  love  fhould  punifh  its  beloved  objeft 
"  for  its  good;  but  will  it  extend   further?  Will  it   pu- 
4<  nifh  more  than  the  benefit  of  the  objeft  punifhed  re- 
*'  quires?  Will  it  therefore  punifli  forever  ?"  No  doubt 
it  will,  when  the  good  of  the  objefi  punijhed  Is  not  the  end 
propofed  by  the  punifhment.     It  is  not  always  the  in- 
tention of  punifhment  to  cpnfult  the  good  of  the  objedl 
punifhed.     This  is  never  the  cafe  with  refpefl  to  capital 
punifhments  in  this  life.     It  is  love  to  his  country,  or  a 
tender  regard  to  the  public  good,  that  induces  the  civil 
magiftrate  to  condemn  the  traitor  or  murderer  to  a  pain- 
ful and  ignominious  death.    It  was  love  to  God  that  fired 
the  breaft  of  Phineas,  when  he  rufhed  into  the  camp  of 
Ifrael,  and  flew  Zimri  and  Kozbi.     And   then   it   was 
confidered,  approved  and  rewarded  by  the  God  of  love. 
"  And  the  Lord  fpake  unto  Mofes,  faying,  Phineas  the 
fon  of  Eleazer,  the  foa  of  Aaron  the  prieft,  hath  turned 
my  wrath  away  from  the  children  of  Ifrael  ('while  he 
•was  zealous  for  my  fake  among  them)  that  I  confumed  not 
the  children  of  Urael  in   my  jealoufy.     Wherefore  fay, 
Behold,  1  give  unto  him  my  covenant  of  peace,   &c." 
It  is  love  to  the  objedls  injured,  and  not  to  the  objeds 
punifheS,  that  dictates  the  nature,  degree  and  duration 
of  their  punifhment.     Thus  it  is  God's  love  to  himfelf, 
to  his  fon,  to  his  Jaw,  and  to  the  general  good  of  the 

N  univerfe 


C   50   ] 

iniiverfe  that  induces  him   to  punifh  the  wicked  after 
death.     Ami  as  his   infinite  love  to  thefe  .objects  will 
eternally  remain,  fo  it   will  induce   him   to   punifh  the 
wicked  forever.     His'Iove  will  burn  to  thelbweft  hell. 
Hence  we  find  the  nioft  exemplary  acls  of  divine  juitice 
are  reprefented  in  fcripture  as  rhe   expreffions  of  divine 
mercy.     "  O  give  thanks   unto  the  Lord,  for  he  isgotd; 
for  his  mercy  endureth  forever.     To  him  that  by  wifdorn 
made  the  heavens ;    for,  his   mercy   endureth   forever. 
To  him  that  fmote  Egypt  in  their  firjl  born,  for  his  mercy 
endureth  forever.     And  brought  out  lirael  from  among 
them;  for  his  mercy  endureth  forever.     But  overthrew 
Pharaoh  and  his  hofts  in    the  Red   Sea  ;    for  his   mercy 
endureth  forever.     To  him  that  fmote  great  kings  ;  for 
his  mercy  endureth  forever.  Andfiety  famous  kings;  for 
his  mercy  endureth  forever.     Sthon  king  of  the   sfmorites; 
for  his  mercy  endureth  forever.    And  Og  king  of  Bafhan  ; 
for  his  mercy  endureth  forever."   Here  the  dif  plays  of  divine 
juftice  are  confidered  as  the  difplays  of  the  fame  goodne/s 
which  firft  gave  birth  to  the  creation  of  the  world.     But 
to  whom  is  the  difplay  of  this  juftice,  a  mercy  ?  To  the 
wicked  ?  Nay,  but  to  the  Ifrael,  to   the  church  of  God. 
Hence  the  degree  and  duration  of  the  punifhments  of  the 
wicked  will  always   hold  proportion  to  the  degree  and 
duration  of  the  divine  love  to  the  righteous.     Accord  ng- 
}y  God  reprefenrs  his  punitive  juflice  as  the  nectflary  fruit 
and  effect  of  his  infinite   goodnefs  and    mercy.     When 
Mofes  rcquefled   a  fpecial   manifeflation   of  his  glory. 
He  told  him  he  would  caufe  all  hisgoodtiefs  to  pafs  before 
him.     And  to  do  this,  he  proclaimed  himfelf  °  rhe  Lord, 
the  Lord  God,  merciful   and   gracious,    long   fuffering, 
and  abundant  in  goodnefs  and   truth — and   that  will  by 
no  means  clear gui-ty"     Thus  it  appears  that  divine^W- 
ncfs  may,  and   infallibly  will  punifl)  rhe  wicked  forever^ 
if  ihe^e^ot  theuniverfe  requires  their  ^r»«/puni 

!4  The 


[     51     1 

*'  The  punifhments  of  the  damned,"  fay  feme,  "  muft 
**  difturb  the  joys  of  the  blefled.  For  how  can 
"  thofe  pure  and  benevolent  fpirits  behold,  'without  fain, 
14  multitudes  of  their  fellow-creatures,  whom  they  love 
'*  as  themfdves,  eternally  weltering  under  the  vials  of 
"  divine  wrath." 

In  anfwer  to  this  it  may  be  obferved, 

Firft,  that  thepunilhments  of  the  damned  are  the  dif- 
plays  of  divine  jufticc  towards  them. 

Secondly,  that  they  are  the  difplays  of  divine  goodneff 
towards  the  blejfed.  Hbnce, 

Thirdly,  as  difplays-  of  divine  goodntfi ,  the  heavenly 
hofts  ought  not  only  to  approve  of  them,  but  to  rejoice 
in  them,  and  prti/e  God  ior  them*  And  hence,  , 

Fourthly,  the  fcripture  tells  us,  that  the  pure  fpirits 
above  do  rejoice  in  and  praiie  God  for  the  eternal  punifh- 
ments which  he  inflids  upon  his  aod  their  enemies. 
Upon  the  fall  o»f  myftical  Babylon*  it  is  faid,  "Rejoice 
ever  her,  thou  heaven,  and  ye  holy  apoftles  and  pro- 
phets ;  for  God  hath  avenged  you  on  her/'  "  And  after 
thcfe  things  I  heard  a  great  voice  of  much  people  in 
heaven,  laying-,  Alleluia:  Salvation,  and  glory,  and 
power  unto  the  Lord  our  God  :  For  true  and  righ- 
teous are  brs  judgments  ;  fo'r  he  hath  judged  the  great 
whore,  which  did  corrupt  the  earth  with  her  fornication, 
and  hath  avenged  the  blood  of  his  fervants  at  her  hand. 
And  agiin  they  faid,  Alleluia.  And  her  fmoak  rife  up 
forever  and  evsr< ;"' 

It  is  faid,  "  If  God  fhould  fave  fome  of  mankind  and 
11  finally  punifh   others,   then  he  'would  be  a  re/pefler  of 
s:9  To* 


[     5*     ] 

To  this  ft  is  fufficient  to  reply,  that  divine  inspiration 
affures  us,  that  God's  rewarding  the  righteous  and  pu- 
nifhing  the  wicked  is  the  very  //;/«£,  which  demonftrates 
him  to  be  no  refpe&er  of  perfons.     "  But  if  ye  call  on 
the  Father,  who,  'without  refpeB  of  perfonSijuJgeth  accord- 
ing to  every  mans  work,  pafs  the  time  of  your  lojourning 
here  in  fear."  I  Pet.  i.  17.     "  And  whatsoever  ye  do, 
do  it  heartily,  as  to  the  Lord,  and  not  unto  men  j  know- 
ing that  of  the  Lord  ye  (hall  receive  the  reward   of  the 
inheritance  ;*for  ye  ferve  the  Lord  Chrift.  .  But  he  that 
doeth  wrong,  fiiall  receive  for  the  wrong  which  he  hath  done  : 
And  there  is  no  refpetf  offcr/ons"  ColofT.  3.  23,  24,  25. 
And  the  apoftle  tells  the  finally  impenitent  (inner,  that 
God  will  render  to  every  man  according  to  his  deeds : 
To  them,  who,  by  patient  continuance  in' well- doing, 
feek  for  glory,  and  honour^  and  immortality  ;  eternal 
life :  But  unto  them  that  are  contentious,  and  do   not 
obey  the  truth,  but  obey  unrighteoufnefs;  indignation, 
and  wrath,  tribulation  and  anguifh  upon  every    foul  of 
man  that  doeth  evil,  of  the  Jew   firft,  and  alfo  of  the 
Gentile.     For  there  is  no   re/peft  of  perjons  with    God!9 
Rom.  2.  6,  7,  8,  9,  11. 

It  is  further  urged  againft  the  eternal  punifhments  of 

the  wicked,  that  u  though   God  is  obliged  to  fulfil  his 

"  promifes,  yet  he  is  not  obliged  to  fulfil  his  threatnings  ; 

"  and  therefore  notwithftanding  he  hath  threatened  eter- 

4  nal  deftruition  to  the  finally  impenitent,  yet  we  can- 

ic  not  hence  abfolutely  determine  that  he  will  make  them 

*  eternally  miferable." 

This  objedlion   does,  in  a  great  meafure,  if  not  en- 
tirely defeat  itlelf.     For  it  fuppofes, 

Firft,  that  God  has  really  threatened  eternal  deftruc- 
tion  to  the  wicked.  Secondly* 


I    53    ] 

Secondly*  it  Tuppofes  that  God  may  confiftetuJy  with 
juftice  make  them  eternally  miferable. 

Thirdly,  it  fuppofes  that  it  Is  utterly  impoflible  for  us 
to  know  and  prove,  that  he  will  not  pynifo  them  eternally^ 
becaufe  thk  cannot  be  known  unlefs  God  \\z$  fr&mifed 
HOC  to  fulfil  his  threatenings,  wfakh  is  ablurd. 

Fourthly,  it  fuppofes  that  it  is  probable  that  he  will 
ptfttf/k  the  wicked  forever.  Divine  threatenings  muft,  ac 
Jeaft,  imply  that  it  is  in  feme  meafure  probable,  that  God 
will  fulfil  them,  or  elfe  they  imply  nothing,  have  no 
meaning,  and  anfwer  no  end.  And  this  probability  is 
greatly  corroborated  by  the  many  inftances,  which  the 
fcripture  gives  us,  of  God's  fulfilling  his  threatenings. 
He  threatened  to  deftroy  the  old  world,  in  the  (pace  of 
an  hundred  and  twenty  yeffrs.  And  accordingly  at  the 
time  appointed  he  deftroyed  them.  He  threatened  to 
judge  and  deftroy  the  Egyptians,  after  a  period  of  four 
hundred  years.  And  when  the  time  of  the  promife  and 
threatening  came,  he  overthrew  the  Egyptians,  and  fet 
the  feed  of  Abraham  free  from  the  houfe  of  bondage. 
He  threatened  deftruftion  to  the  Canaanites,  and  he  de- 
ftroyed them  accordingly.  He  threatened  a  fcventy 
years  captivity  to  his  people  Ifrael,  and  he  fulfilled  his 
threatenings.  He  threatened  the  total  excifion  of  the 
Jews*  their  city  and  temple,  and  they  were  cut  off  at 
the  time  predided.  He  threatened  the  ruin  of  the  fe- 
ven  churches  of  Afia  ;  and  his  threatenings  have  long 
fince  been  fulfilled.  He  threatened  the  utter  extin&ion 
of  Babylbn  and  Ninevah,  and  his  threatenings  have  had 
a  moil  exad  and  puncftual  accompliflimenu*  Thefe 
and  many  other  inftances  which  might  be  adduced, 

O  afford 

*  See  Newton  on  the  prophecies. 


[     54     ] 

afford  a  ftrong  probability  and  preemption  that  God 
•will  fulfil  all  his  threatenings  according  to  their  real  na- 
ture and  import.  Nor  does  the  cafe  of  Ninevah  rightly 
underftood  fuppofe  the  contrary.  God's  threatenings 
againft  Ninevah  were  evidently  conditional^  agreeably  to 
that  'divine  maxim  in  the  i8th  of  Jeremiah.  "  At  what 
inftant  1  fhall  fpeak  concerning  a  nation — If  that  nation, 
ngainft  whom  I  have  pronounced  turn  from  their  evil, 
I  will  repsnt  of  the  evil  that  1  thought  to  do  unto  them-." 
And  Jonah  and  the  king  of  Ninevah  evidently  under- 
ftood  the  threatening  with  this  implied  condition  ;  or 
\\hy  did  Jonah  preach,  or  the  Ninevites  faft  I  Befides, 

Fifthly,  this  objection  fuppofes  that  it  is  as  certain,  as  it 
can  be}  that  God  will  punifh  the    wicked  eternally.     No- 
thing can  make  this  more  certain  than  the  divine  threat- 
enwgs.    If  God's  threat,en<ings  do  not  fix  the  certainty  of 
future  and  eternal  punifh  men ts-  beyond   doubt,    then   if 
God  really  intends  to  punifh  the  wicked  to  all   eternity, 
he  cannot  make  them  certain  of  it  in  this  Hie,  for  he  con 
give  them  no  higher  evidence  of  it  than  h>is  exprcfs  de- 
clarations and  threatenings.     So  that  if  they  will  nor  be- 
lieve this  evidence,   neither   would    they  be  perfuaded, 
though  one  rofe  from  the   dead.     Accordingly  God  af- 
fares  us,  that  his  threatenings  are  as  much  to  be  relied  on 
as  /;/'/  promifes^  and  that  his  truth  and  divinity,  are  pledged 
in  both.     Thus    his  promifes  and    threatenings   are  fee 
upon  a  level  in  the  i8th  of  Jeremiah..    "  At  what  inftant 
I  (hall  (peak  concerning  a  nation,  and  concerning  a  king- 
dom, to  pluck  up  and  to  pull  down,  and  to  deitroy  it  j; 
if  that   nation,    again  ft  whom  1  have    pronounced  turu 
from  their  evil,  I  will  repent  of  the  evil  that  I  thought  to 
do  unto  them.     And  at  what  inftant'  I  fhall   fpeak  con- 
cerning a  nation,  and  concerning   a  kingdom,   to  build 

and 


[     55    ] 

and  to  plant  it  j  if  it  do  evil  in  my   fight,   that  it  obey 
not  my  voice,  then  I  will  repent  of"  ihz  good  wherewith 
I  laid  I  would  benefit  it."     Here  God  exhibits  the  lame 
evidence  of   the  truth  aud  certainty  of  his  threatenings 
as  of  his  promifes.     And  in  other   places   he   lets   them 
both  on  the  lame  immutable  footing.  "  If  ye  be  willing 
and  obedient,  ye  fhali  <.  *>t  the'  good  of  the  land."     Here 
is  a  promife.     "  But  if  ye  refute  and  rebel,  ye  fhall  be  de- 
voured with  the  fword.     Here    is  a  threatening.     And 
then  both  are  confirmed,    by  the    following  emphatical 
afTeverafion,  "  for  the  mouth  of  the  LORD  bath  Jpoken 
it"     And  this  mode  of  afTeveration    is    often  ufed  wkh 
rtfptdl  to  the  divine  threatenings  as  well  as    promifes. 
The  threatenings  againlt  Tyre  run  in  this  folemn  form': 
"Therefore,  thus  laid   the  L  O  R  D    GOD,    Behold  I 
am  againft   thee,  O  Tyrus,    and  I  will  caule  many    na- 
tions to  come  up   again  11  thee,   as   the  fea   caufeth  his 
•waves  to  come  up.     And  they  (hall  deftroy  the  walls  of 
Tyrus,  and  break  down  her  towers:  I    will  alfo   (crape 
her  duft  from  her,  and  make  her  hke  the  top  of  a  rock  j 
it  (hall  be  a  place  for  the  fpreading  of  nets  in  the  midft  of 
the  fea  :  For  1  have  fpoken  it  faith  the  Lord"     Ez<  k.  17. 
3,  4,  5.     This   threatening  proved  true,   and  was  fully 
accomplished  many  ages  ago.*  There  is  another  threat- 
ening ngainfl  God's  own  people  of  the  fame  tenor.  *'  Be- 
caufe  I  have  purged  thee,    and    thou  waft    not    purged, 
thou  fhah  not  be  purged  from  thy  filthinefs  any   more, 
till  I  have  caufed  my  fury  to  reft  upon  thee.     I  the  Lord 
have  fpoken  it ;  it  fbail  &ome  to  pafs,  and  I  wilt  do  it"    Ezck. 
14.    13,  14,     Thus    it   appears   that   God's    threatening^ 
have  the  fame  ground  of  certainty  as  \\\$ promi/es.  They 
are  both  founded  on  the  infallible  veracity,  and  abfolute 
immutability  of  Him  'who  cannot  lie. 

Another 
*  Sec  Newton  on  the  prophecies 


I     56    3 

Another  objection  is  this.  "  If  fin  and  mifery  be  not 
"  totally  abolilhed,  and  all  mankind  finally  favcd,  then 
*'  Satan  will  triumph,  and  Chrift  will  fail  of  accornplifh* 
"  ing  one  of  his  principal  ends  in  the  work  of  redemp- 
•'•  tion,  which  is  co  bruife  the  .ferpent's- head,  and  d^ftroy 
"  the  works  of  the  devil." 

To  this  it  may  be  replied,  in  the  firft  place,  that  merely 
the  abolishing  affin  and  mijery  will  apt  deftroy  the  works  of 
the  devil,  and  bruife  the  ferpent's  head.  For  fuppoling 
in  any  period  of  eternity,  fin  and  milery  fhbuld  be  per- 
ie£tly  ^bolifhed,  Satan  would  ftill  have  caule  to  triumph, 
that  he  had  brought  a«n  indelible  itain  upon  the  divine 
chara&er,  and  done  an  irreparable  injury  to  his  creatures* 
and  fo  far  fruftrated  the  kind  and  benevolent  purpofcs  of 
the  Deity  in  the  work  of  creation.  Unlefs, 

Secondly,  all  the  fin  and  mifery  which  he  had  proved 
the  means  of  introducing  into  God's  world,  are  turned, 
egaiuft  him,  and  m,ade  inftrumental  of  bringing  more  glory 
to  God,  and,wortf  happinefs  to  the  univerte  than  if  they 
had,  never  exifted.  When  this  is  done,  Satan  is  effedu- 
ally  conquered,  his  bead  is  bruifed,  and  his  works  de- 
itroyed.  But, 

Thirdly,  if  the  fin  and  mffery  of  ages,  can  be  made 
the  means  of  bringing  more  glory  to  GvJ,  and  more  hippi- 
nefs  to  the  univerfe,  than  if  they  had  never  exifted  ; 
Chen  the  fin  and  mifery  of  the  damned  through  eternity, 
may  prove  the  means  of  promoting  the  fame  ends  for-" 
ever.  Therefore,  in  order  effectually  to  deftroy  the 
works  of  the  devil,  and  bruife  the  ferpent's  head  it  may 
be  abfolutely  necefTary  that  Satan  and  multitudes  of  his 
followers  (hould  be  eternally  miserable.  Accordingly 
the  fcripture  reprefents  Chrift' as  triumphing  over  Satant 

by 


[    57    ] 

fey  turning  alt  his  fchemes  and  works  againft  him,  and 
finally  calling  him  and  his  adherents  into  the  bottonv 
lefs  pit,  un-der  the  wrath  of  God,  and  the  everlafting 
contempt  of  the  heavenly  world.  And  ihns  Chriit  is 
exalted,  and  his  enemies  are  made  his  footitool. 

Having  fliown  that  there  will  be  a  general  judgment 
*— that  there  is  ai)  effential  diftinftion  between  the  righ- 
teous and  the  wicked — that  agreeably  to  this  diftinction, 
they  will  be  feperated  at  thelaft  day,  and  rewarded  and  pu< 
niflied  according  to  their  works — that  their  refpe&ive  re- 
wards and  punifhments  will  endure/or^jdr—and  that  there 
arenoyW/Wobjedlions  againft  thefe  folernnand  interefting 
truths ;  it  only  remains  to  conclude  this  difcourfe  with 
fuch  reflections  as  are  naturally  fuggefted  by  the  fubjecl. 

It  is  obvious  to  remark,  in  the  firft  place,  that  every 
fcheme  of  univerfal  falvation  is  utterly  deftitute  of  any 
foundation  in  the  word  of  God.  The  foregoing  obfer- 
vations  equally  ftrike  at  the  root  of  this  opinion,  in 
whatever  fhape  it  appears,  or  on  whatever  ground  it  is 
built.  Various  fchemes  have  been  purfued  to  eftablifh 
the  notion  of  the  final  reftoration  and  happinefs  of  all 
lapfed  beings.  This  notion  perhaps  was  firrt  conceived 
in  the  fertile  brain  of  Origin,  who,  like  other  great  and 
afpiring  minds,  made  fuch  grofs  blunders  in  (peculation, 
as  men  of  an  inferior  fize  are  incapable  of  committing. 
This  opinion  of  his  tranfpired  with  feveral  others  equally 
abfurd  and  romantic.  He  maintained — that  "  the  fouls 
of  men  do  pre-exi(t — that  through  their  fault  and  negli- 
gence they  appear  here  inhabitants  of  the  earth  cloathed 
in  terreftial  bodies-— that  the  mytfery  of  the  refurredion 
is  this,  that  we  (hall  be  cloathed  with  heavenly  or  sethe- 
rial  bodies — that  after  long  periods  of  time  the  damned 

P  "  (hall 


ftali  be  delivered  from  their  torments,  and 'try  their  for* 
tunes  again  in  fuch  regions  of  the  world  as  their  natures 
fit  them  for — and  that  the  earth,  after  her  conflagration, 
fhall  become  habitable  again,  and  be  the  manfions  of 
men  and  other  animals  ;  and  this  in  eternal  viciffitudes."* 
Such  crude  and  undigeited  notions  were  propagated  by 
Origin,  which  probably  would  have  dropt  into  oblivion* 
eges  ago,  bad  not  the  name  of  their  author  carried  more 
weight  with  fome,  than  the  ftrength  of  his  arguments. 
Out  of  this  rubbHb,  however,  the  Romifh  clergy  formed 
the  abfurd  do&rine  of  Purgatory.  And  after  them, 
Chevalier  Ramfay,  Dr.  Hartley  and  others  have  built, 
on  the  fame  foundation,  the  do&rine  of  the  final  refto^ 
ration  of  all  lapfed  beings  to  the  divine  favor* 

Others  have  founded  their  expectation  of  the  final 
bappinefs  of  the  whole  intelligent  creation  on  the  infinite 
goodnefs  and  mercy  of  the  Supreme  Being.  They  fup- 
pofe  that  the  endlefs  mifery  of  the  creature  cannot  be 
reconciled  with  the  nature  of  his  crime,  nor  the  bound- 
lefs  love  and  benevolence  of  the  Deity.  This  fchemc 
hath  been  generally  adopted  by  deiftical  writers. 

And,  of  late,  Mr.  Relly  hath  devifed  another  method 
of  arriving  to  the  fame  conclufio^  and  maintained,  that 
all  men  will  be  faved  by  virtue  of  th^ir  union-  to  Chrift, 
which  God  conftitutcd  and  eftablifhed  from  eternity, 
without  any  aft  or  exercife  of  theirs.  This  is  the  laft 
improvement  upon  the  dodrine  of  univerjal  falvation  ; 
and  is,  of  all  others,  the  moft  abfurd  and.  repugnant  td 
the  genius  and  fpirit  of -the  gvfpel*. 

But  the  notion  of  univerfal  falvation,  in  every  form  of 
it,  is  fo  ablurd,  that  it  hath  never  met  with  general  accep- 
tance 
*  Pfaenix,  V6I,  .1.  Page  ii* 


C    59    1 

mnce  among  thofe  that  have  called  themfelves  Chriftians; 
They  have  never  adoped  it  as  an  article  in  any  of  their 
formulas,  creeds,  or  confeffions  of  faith.  Even  the  Ro- 
mifh  church  have  not  embraced  it.  They  do  not  ima- 
gine that  every  finner  willhave  the  benefit  of  purgatory, 
but  fuppofe  mulritudes  are  fo  guilty  as  to  be  lent  direft- 
]y  to  heU,  and  fbiall  there  remain  forever.  Only  a  few 
individuals  have  believed  and  propagated  this  doctrine, 
in  any  age  of  the  world,  as  Dr.  Hartley  frankly  acknow- 
ledges. His  words  are  thefe,  *""  It  is  farther  to  be 
obierved,  that  the  fear  of  death  is  much  increafed  by 
the  exquifiteneis  of  the  punifhments  threatened  in  a  fu- 
ture ftate,  and  by,  the  variety  of  the  emblems*  reprefen- 
tations,  analogies,  and  evidences,  of  natural  and  revealed 
religion,  whereby  all  the  terrors  of  all  other  things  are 
transferred  upon  tho(e  punifhments  ;  alfo  by  that  pecu^ 
liar  circiunftanceof  the  ETERNITY  of  them,  which 
feems  to  have  been  a  general  tradition  previous  to  the 
appearance  of  chriftianity,  ampngft  both  Je,\vs  and  Pa«- 
gans,  and  which  has  been  the  dc&rine  cf  the  chriftian 
world  ever  fince,  fome  vtry  Jew  perfons  excepted." 
This  general  difbelief  of  the  dodrine  of  univcrfalfalva- 
tion  bears  a  very  dark  afpefl  upon  the  truth  of  it.  For 
had  ic  been  true,  and  plainly  revealed  in  thefacred  ora- 
cles, it  is  flrange  that  the  chriftian  world  could  never 
yet  be  brought  to  embrace  it;  cfpecially  fince  it  is  a 
doflriue  fo  every  way  adopted  to  pleale  and  gratify  all 
the  natural  defires  erf  the  human  heart.  The  belief  of 
it  would  not  have  afforded  half  the  evidence  oi  its  trurfr, 
as  the  difbelief  of  it,  for  fo  many  ages,  affords  of  its 
falfehood.  There  h-as  been  every  thing  to  lead  mankind 
to  embrace  it,  and  nothing  to  rejeft  irr  had  it  been  tra&* 
But  on  the  other  hand,  there  has  been  every  thing  to 

kadi 
*"  Qbfecvation*  on  »an,  i  Yol,  Page  467 


£    *°   1 

lead  mankind  to  rejeft,  and  nothing  to  embrace  the  doc- 
trine of  eternal  punifhments,  had  it  been  fulfe.     Thera- 
fere  it  is  next  to  a  miracle,  that  the  chriftian  world  fhould, 
lor  fo  many  ages,  embrace  the  do&rine  of  eternal  pu- 
nifhments, and  rejeft  that  of  univerfal  falvation,  had  not 
the  do&rine  of  univerfal  falvation  been  really  falfe,  and 
that  of  eternal   punifhments  moft  evidently  true.     In   no 
cafe,  perhaps,  the  general  voice  of  the  chriftian   world 
ought  to  have  more  weight  than  in  this;  efpecially  fincc 
it  fo  fully  concurs  with   fhe  genera!  voice  of  fcripture* 
We  have  feen  that  all  the  doiftrines,  declarations,  pre- 
cepts, promifes  and  threatenings  of  the  gofpcl  confpire 
to  condemn  the  notion  of  univerlal  falvation.     Indeed 
had  the  bible  been  written  on  purpofe  to  refute  it,  we 
can  hardly  conceive  that  it  could  have  contained  any 
thing  more  plain,  full  and  determinate  againft  it.     And 
Chevalier  Ramfay  acknowledges,  that  "  St.  Jerom,  St. 
Gregory,  ofNyfla,  St.  Auguftin,  and  St.  Cyril,  of  Alex- 
andria, attacked  and  confuted  this  opinion,  as  maintained 
by  Origin,  before  the  fifth  general  council  held  at  Con- 
ftantinople."*     In  fhort,  there  is  every  kind  of  evidence 
againft  it.     It  ftands  condemned  by  fcripture,  by  reafon, 
and  by  the  general  voice  of  mankind  for  more  than  a 
thoufand  years  paft. 

Secondly,  it  appears  from  what  hath  been  faid,  that 
tkis  fentiment  is  not  only  falfe,  but  very  dangerous. 

If  there  be  an  cffential  difference  between  faints  and 
finners ;  iftheyfhall  be  feperated  from  each  other,  at 
the  hit  day,  and  eternally  rewarded  and  punifhed  ac- 
cording to  their  works,  as  we  have  endeavoured  to  (how 
in  the  preceeding  difcourfc,  then  the  notion  of  univerfal 

falvation 

*  Philofophical  Principles,  2  Vol.  Page  24$. 


folvation,  efpecially  as  maintained- by  Mr.  Relly  and  his 
followers,  is  fundamentally  wrong   and   abfolutely  fatal. 
Their  doftrine  teaches,  that  holinefs  and  piety  are  empty 
Kames  ;  that  faith,  love,  repentance,  humility   and  lub- 
miffion,  are  no  other  than  hypocrify,  pride  and  idolatry  > 
that  it  is  imp<  flible  for  a  man  to  prevent  his  falvationby 
the   moil  irreligious,    abandoned,    profligate    life;  that 
there  is  no  <  iTcntial  difference  between  the  righteous  and 
the  wicked  ;  that  they  (hall  not  be  feperated  at  the  laft 
day,  but  Cain,  Pharaoh,   Hainan,  Herod,    Judas,  Pilate, 
and  all  the  reft  of  the  impenitent  world,   (hall   fit  down 
\vith  Abraham,  Ifaac  and  Jacob  in  the  kingdom  of  glory, 
and  no  human  foul  be  finally  (hut  out.     Such  a  doftrine 
as  this  is  replete  with  infinite  milchief,     It  ftrikes  at  the 
root  of  all  experimental  religion.     It  confounds  oil  no- 
tipns  of  virtue  and  vice.      It  deflroys  all  diftindtion   of 
charadlers.     It  faps  the  foundation  of  morality.    It  takes 
off  every  reftraint  from  vice.     It  opens    the  flood  gates 
of  iniquity.     It  renders  even   God,   and  Chrift,  and  the 
prophets  and  the  apoftles,  the  minifters  of  fin.     It  fpeaks 
peace  to  the  wicked,  to   whom,    faith  God,    there  is  no 
peace.     It    has  indeed   every  fignature    of    a  damnable 
doftrine.    There  are  many  errors,    no  doubt,    in  regard 
to  the  modes  and  forms,  and  fome  of  the  doctrines  of  re- 
ligion, which,  though  they  cannot  abide  the  clear  light 
of  the  laft  great  day,  will  not  exclude  men  from  the  fa- 
Tour  of  God,  or  the  kingdom  of  heaven.    But  this  is  a 
prafltcal  error  of  the  firft   magnitude,  which   will  even- 
tually prove  fatal  in  the  day  of  decifion.     Our  Lord  hath 
fo  clearly    defcribed   the   procefs    of  the  final  judgment, 
that  we    may   as  certainly  know  now,    that  all  unrege- 
nerate,   unholy,    impenitent,    unclean,    impure   perions 
fhail  then  be  condemned,  as  if  we  now  flood  before  that 
awful  tribunal,  and  heard   the  la-ft  decifive  fentence  de- 

nounccd 


f  <*  I 

flounced  agsinft  them,  Depart,  ye  curfed,into  cverlafting 
fire,  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels. 

Some  feem  reluflant  to  pronounce  abfolutely  upon 
the  fatal  tendency  of  this  do&rine,  and  chufe  only  to 
fay,  if  it  be  true^  we  are  as  fafe  as  thofe  who  embrace 
it.  But  we  ought  rather  to  fay,  if  there  be  no  future 
judgment  then  we  are  all  iafe,  but  not  otherwife.  Admit 
a  future  judgment,  and  there  remains  no  room  for  doubt, 
whether  God  will  make  a  difference  between  him  that 
ferveth  him,  and-him  that  ferveth  him  not;  between 
him  that  fweareth,  and  him  that  feareth  an  oath.  In- 
deed the  fuppofition  that  no  diflin&ion  will  be  r»ade  be* 
tween  the  righteous  and  the  wicked  at  the  laft  day, 
\vholly  fuperfedes  the  tieceflity  and  even  propriety  of  a 
general  judgment,  Why  fhould  God  appoint  a  day,  in 
which,  to  judge  the  world  in  righteoufnefs,  if  no  per- 
fons  were  to  be  judged,  no  characters  to  be  examined,, 
and  no  difplays  of  rctribudve  juftice  to  be  made  !  "  B£ 
not  deceived,  God  is  not  mocked  ;  for  what  a  man 
fowcth,  that  (hall  he  alfo  reap.  For  he  that  foweth  to 
the  flefh,  (halt  of  the  ft&fh  reap  corruption  :  But  he  that 
foweth  to  the  fpirit,  fhall  ofthcfpirit  reap  life  ever- 
Jafting." 

« 

Did  the  human  heart  naturally  prefer  light  to  d;irk> 
nefs,  and  truth  to  error,  it  would  be  fufficient  to  difco- 
ver  the  truth  and  expole  the  error,  and  leave  every  prr- 
fon  to  follow  the  cool  dilates  of  his  own  underftanding. 
But  f«)ce  the  cafe  is  quite  the  reverfe,  it  becomes  proper 
to  addrefs  the  hearts  and  confciences,  the  hopes  and 
fears  of  men,  and, give  divine  truths  all  the  advantages 
which  they  neceflarily  derive  from  the  motives  of  eter* 
niiy.  Hence  the  apoftles  addielTed  mankind  on  the 

weighty 


C     *3    1 

Weighty  concerns  of  the  foul,  with  great  folemnity, 
tenderncfs  and  pathos-  "  Knowing  therefore  the  terror 
bf  the  Lord,  we  perfuade  men/'  "  Now  then  we  are 
ambafladors  for  Chrift,  as  though  God  did  befeech  you 
by  us  ;  we  pray  you  in  Gh  rift's  Itead,  be  ye  reconciled 
to  God."  Supported  and  dire&ed  by  fuch  examples  as 
thefe,  there  needs  no  apology  for  addrefling  thole  who 
are  particularly  concerned  in  this  ferious  fubjedt,  and 
warning  them  againft  che  fatal  dangers  to  which  they 
are  eminently  cxpoled. 


There  are  ny>  at  this  day,  who  are  labouring  to 
reafon  themfelves  out  of  the  belief  of  all  truth  both  hu- 
man and  divine;  and  boaft  of  arriving  to  a  certainty 
that  all  things  are  uncertain.  But  it  may  be  queftioned 
whether  the  human  mind,  which  is  formed  to  fee  and 
feel  the  force  of  truth,  will  permit  any  man  to  approach 
nearer  to  perfe6t  -Jctpftcrfm^  than  perfect  knowledge.  By 
an  habit  of  refilling  truth,  however,  fome  may  have 
unfettled  their  minds  refpe&ing  divine  things,  at  kail  ; 
and  become  expofed  to  embrace  error,  if  any  thing,  in- 
ftead  of  truth  in  matters  of  religion.  And  for  this  realon,. 
they  are  very  liable  to  fall  in  with  the  delufive  fcheme  of 
univerfal  falvation,  which  hath  a  tendency  to  diffufe 
fome  glimmering  rays  of  light  in  their  dark  and  defpair- 
ing  minds.  But  let  fuch  be  entreated  to  awake  from 
their  reveries*  and  attend  to  the  great  realities  with 
which  they  are  lurrounded  and  connedled.  Eternal 
rewards  and  punifhments  are  lubftamial  realities,  whe- 
ther they  believe  them  to  be  fo  or  not.  By  (hutting  their  eyes 
ag%inft  them,  theirdanger  is  not  in  the  lead  diminifhed,  but 
greatly  enhanced.  The  period  is  battening  when  they 
muft  be  thoroughly  a  wakened  from  their  deluGve  dreams* 
The  fokmn  fccnes  of  the  laft  day  will  draw  the  curtaia 

ttfidd 


«fide,  arul  open  upon  their  aftonifhed  minds  the  great 
realities  which  we  have  defcribed.  And  thefe  objects, 
-which,  at  a  tiiftance,  made  Felix  and  Belfhazzar  tremble, 
-will  equally  (hock  their  guilty  .fouls,  \\  henevcr  their 
prefence  can  no  longer  be  refifted.  A  realizing  fenle  of 
guilt,  and  folly,  and  the  divine  wrath  will,  make  any 
human  heart  ftopp,  and  fill  it  with  unutterable  anguifh, 
horror  and  defpair.  O  I  that  they  would  therefore  turn 
from  fuch  gloomy  pjofpe&s,  and  attend  to  thofe  lumi- 
nous truths,  which  will  pour  a  flood  of  light  into  their 
ravifhed  minds,  and  give  them  that  joy  which  is  un- 
fpeatable  and  full  of  glory. 

There -is  a  larger  number  than  thefe,  perhaps,  who 
are  making  fwift  and  bold  advances  in  the  caufe  ot  in- 
fidelity, and  leave  no  methods  unemployed  to  difcredit 
divine  revelation,  and  fubvert  the  foundations  ol  chrif- 
tianity.  They  need  not  tell  the  world  their  motives. 
Were  they  not  convinced  that  the  bible  contains  the 
do6lrine  of  eternal  punifhments,  they  would  not  wrack 
their  inventions  to  find  arguments  to  perfuade  them- 
ftlves  and  others  that  the  fcriptures  are  a  cunningly 
devifed  fable.  Let  this  doftrine  be  erafed  from  the  bi- 
ble, and  every  deift  would  become  its  votary,  and  ex- 
change his  Bolingbroke,  Voltaire  or  Chefterfield  for 
that  lacred  volumn.  It  is  this  do&rine  alone  that  com- 
pels them  to  renounce  a  book,  which  bears  fo  many  fig- 
natures  of  divinity,  and  which  they  are  compelled  to 
acknowledge  contains  the  moft  excellent  inftruftions, 
inftitutions  a<nd  commands,  but  fo  'weak  is  their  infide- 
7//y,  we  prefume  they  would  rejoice  to  find  the  bible 
on  their  fide,  to  confirm  their  wavering  hopes  and  fee- 
ble profpefts  of  future  happinefs.  And  this  is  what  the 
dfcherae  of  univerfal  falvation  propofes.  It  flatters  thetn 

the 


the  bible  is  their  friend,  and  announces  eternal  felicity 
to  them  an4  to  all  mankind.  Accordingly  numbers  of 
a  deiltical  turn  have  become  converts  to  this  agreeable 
dodlrine,  and  many -others  are  eminently  expofed  to  fall 
into  the  fata]  fnare.  But  this  is  flying  from  the  iron 
weapon  and  rufhing  on  the  bow  of  fteel.  For  if  any 
difcard  the  bible  becayfe  they  imagine  it  does  contain 
the  doilrine  of  eternal  punishments,  or  embrace  it  be- 
caufe  they  think  it  does  not,  they  will  infallibly  meet 
•with  disappointment  and  ruin  in  the  end.  There  is  one 
way  and  but  one,  in  which,  they  may  efcape  the  wrath 
which  is  to  cdme,  and  that  is,  by  repentance  towards 
God,  and  faith  in  our  Lord  Jefus  Chnft.  This  is  the 
only  foundation  of  hope,  that  God  hath  provided  and 
revealed;  nor  can  any  other  foundation  be  laid,  which 
will  not  give  way,  when  the  winds  blow,  and  the 
dorms  of  divine  wrath  beat  upon  the  guilty  foul. 

The  fons  of  pleafnre,  who  indulge  to  every  flnful  gra- 
tification, find  it  exceedingly  difficult,  in  their  ferious 
intervals,  to  ftifle  their  natural  apprehenfions  of  guilt 
and  punifhment,  and  therefore  readily  catch  hold  of 
any  thing  which  promifes  them  impunity  in  the  paths 
of  vice.  The  doftrine  of  falvation  for  all  men,  without 
exception,  or  diftinftion  of  characters,  perfectly  gratifies 
their  hearts  and  coincides  with  their  reigning  views  and 
purfuits.  Accordingly,  when  this  is  propofed  to  their 
belief,  they  will,  ifpoffible,  yield  their  aflent,  and  (hake 
offthofe  painful  fears  of  the  wrath  to  come,  through 
which,  they  have  all  their  life  time  been  fubjecft  to  bon- 
dage. But  let  them  beware  of  this  flender  fhelter.  It 
will  infallibly  deceive  and  difoppoint  them.  The  agrec- 
ablenefs  of  the  doftrine  is  a  ftrong  indication  of  its  re- 
pugnancy to  the  gofpel  of  Chnft,  which  was  never  re- 

R  lifted 


lifhed  by  perfons  of  an   immoral,  profligate  charafter. 
When  John  preached  Herod  was  offended.    When  Chritt 
preached  the  whole  congregation  was  filled  with  wrath. 
And  when  Paul  preached  Cipon  righteou/nefs,  hmperance^ 
2nd  judgment   to  come,   the   loofe   and   abandoned    Felix 
trembled.      And    it   is    the   genuine    tendency    of  the 
doctrines   of  rhe   gofpel   to  convince  profligate  fmnen 
that  they  are  in  the  gaul  of  bitternefs  and  bonds  of  ini- 
quity.    They  may  therefore  be  aliUred^that  the  ioothing 
do&fin-e  of  univerfal    falvation  is  diametrically  oppofite 
to  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jcfus.     Let  them   not  then  liiten 
to  the    pleafmg   delufion,  and   biefs  themfelves,  faying, 
we  fhall  have  peace,  though  w^  walk  in  the  imagination 
of   our   hearts*  to  add  drunkennels  to   third.     For   the 
Lord  will  not  fpare  them,  but  his  anger,  and  hisjealou^ 
fy  fhall  fmoak  againflr  them,  and   all   the  curies  that  are 
written  in  the  book  of  God  (hall  He  upon  tfrern  forever^ 
"  Rejoice,  O  young,  man,  in   thy  youth,  and  let  thy 
heart  chear  thee  in  the  days  of  thy  youth,  and  walk  in 
the  ways  of  thine  heart,  and  in  the  light  of  thine  eyes: 
Bur  know  ttooti,  that  for  all  the/e  things  God  ivill  bring  thea 
into  judgment"    "Be  not  deceived :  Neither  farnicators, 
nor  idolaters,  nor  adulterers,  nor  effeminate,  nor  abu- 
fers  of  themfelves  with  mankind,  nor  thieves,  nor  cove- 
tous, nor  drunkards,  nor  revile-rs,,  nor  extortioners  fhall 
inherit  the  kingdom  of;God." 

There  is  another -qlafs  of  men  whofe  cafe  borders  up* 
on  defpair,  and  calls  aloud  lor  the  prayers   and   compaf- 
fion  of  every   pious  heart  :  1~  mean  thole   who  have  re- 
nounced their  former  faith,  and  built  all  their  hopes  for 
eternity  upon  the  (lender  foundation,  thirt  no  man  can  pof* 
fihly  be  loft.     My    friends,    are  you    certain  that   without 
love,  without  faith,  without  holinclsf.  you  can   fce-tha..- 

Lord? 


C   67    ] 

Lord?  Are   y6u  certain,  nctwithflanding  all  the  divine 
threatenings,    there  is  no  wrath  to  come  ?.  Are  you  cer~ 
tain,  that  men  canr.ot  be  under  (bong  delufions,  to  be- 
lit  vc:  a  lie,  that  they  may  be  damned  ?  Are   you  certain 
that  you  can  appear  before  the  judgment  feat    of  Chrift 
\vith  iufety  ?  /MC  you  certain  that  there  is  no  meaning- 
in  this  laving  of  our  compaflionate  Redeemer*     "  What 
is  a  man  pn-rired,  if  he  fhould  giin  the  whole  world,  and 
lole  his  own  ioul  ?  or  what  (hall  a  -man-give  in  exchange 
for  his  foul  ?"     in  a  word,  are  y^u  certain,  it  is  abfolurely 
impoflible,  that  your  precious-and  immortal  fouls  mould 
be  loll  forever  ?.'  If  not,  what   an   amazing   rifk   do  you 
run,  to   fufpend  all  your  eternal   interelts  upon  a  fmgle 
point  of  mere  /peculation,  which  (lands  condemned  by  the 
concurreiu   voice  of  reafon,   of  confciencer   of  fcripture, 
and  of  the  chriltian  world  !     But  (to  ufe  nearly  the  words 
of  an  eminently  great   and  pious  divine)    if  you  are  de- 
termined to  enquire  no  farther  into  the  matter  now,  give 
me  leave,  at  leail,  from,  a  (iucere  concern,  that  you  may 
not  heap  upon  your  heads  more  aggravated  ruin,  to  in- 
treat  you,  that  you  would  be   cautious  how  you  expofe 
yourfelves  to  yet   greater  danger,    by   what  you    mutt 
yourfelves  own  to  be  unneceiLry,  L  mean,.  Attempts  t9 
fiervtr!  others  from  believing  the  truths  of  ths  goffiel.     Leave 
them*  for  God's  fake,  and  for  your  own,  in  poflcffion  of 
thole  pleafures,  and  thofe  hopes,  which  nothing    but  the 
truth  as  it  is  in  Jbfus  can   give   them  ;  and  ad  not   as  if  .. 
you  were  folicitous  to  add  to  the  guilt  of  an  infi  iel    tha- 
tenfold  damnation,  which  they  who  have  been  the  per- 
verters  and  dedroyers  of  the  (bub  of  others,  mufl  expeit, 
to  meet,  if  thole    divine  threatening.?  which    they    have 
fo  adventroufly  oppofed  flloukl  prove,   as  tlwy.  cenainly 
will,  the  molt  ferious,    and   to  them  the  molr  dreadfuf, 
truihs,.    11  1  cannot  prevail  here,  but  the  pride  o 


C     <58    ] 

i 

playing  ajuperiority  of  under  Banding  fliould  bear  on  fuch 
readers,  even  in  oppofmon  to  their  own  favorite  maxims 
of  the  innocence  of  error \  and  the  equality  of  all  religions  con- 
fi/lcnt  ivith  focial  virtue,  to  do  their  utmoft  to  trample 
down  the  truths  of  the  gofpel  with  contempt ;  I  would 
however  difmifs  them  with  one  propofal,  which  I  think 
the  importance  of  the  affair  may  fully  jtiftify.  If  you 
have  done  with  your  examination  into  the  promifes  and 
threatenings  of  the  gofpel,  and  each  of  you  determine 
ta  live  and  conducft  himfelf  as  if  they  were  aflu  redly 
falfe,  fit  down  then,  and  make  a  memorandum  of  that  de- 
termination* u  On  fuch  a  day  of  fuch  a  year,  I  delibe- 
"  rately  refolved,  that  I  would  live  and  die  rejecting  all 
"  experimental  religion.  This  day  I  determined,  not  only 
fi  to  renounce  all  vital  piety,  but  alfo  to  make  it  a  ferious 
*•  part  of  the  bufinefs  of  rny  life,  to  deftroy,  as  far  as  I 
ft  poffibly  can,  all  regard  to  it  in  the  minds  of  others  ;  in 
fl  calm,  Heady  defiance  of  that  day,  when  the  followers 
"  of  Chrift  lay,  he  fhall  appear  in  fo  much  majefty  and 
"  terror  to  execute  the  vengeance  threatened  to  his  ene- 
"  mies."  Dare  you  write  this,  and  fign  it  ?  I  firmly  be- 
lieve that  many  a  man,  who  would  be  thought  an  Uni- 
•verfatift,  and  endeavours  to  increafe  the  number,  would 
not  do  it.  And  if  you  in  particular  dare  not  do  it, 
whence  does  that  fmall  remainder  of  caution  ajife?  The 
caufe  is  plain.  There  is  in  your  confcience  fome  fecret 
apprehenfion,  that  thefe  oppofed,  thefe  rejected,  thefe  de- 
rided truths  of  the  gofpel  may,  a/ter  all  prove  true.  And 
if  there  be  fuch  an  apprehenfion,  then  let  confcience  do 
its  office,  and  convince  you  of  the  impious  madnefs  of 
siting  as  if  they  were  moft  certainly  and  demwftrabty  falfe. 
Let  it  tell  you  at  large,  how  poffible  it  is  that  haply  you 
may  be  feund  fighting  again  ft  God  :  That,  bold  as  you  are 
in  defying  the  terrors  of  the  Lord,  you  may  poffibly  fall 

into 


I     *9    J 

into  his  hands ;  may  chance  to  hear  that  defpifcd  fen- 
tence,  which  when  you  hear  it  from  the  mouth  of  the 
eternal  Judge,  you  will  not  be  able  to  defpife :  I  will 
repeat  it  again,  in  fpite  of  all  your  (corn,  you  may  bear 
the  King  fay  to  you,  Depart  accurfod,  into  ever  faff  ing  fire, 
-prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels. 

If  any  thing  farther  needs  to  be  added,  it  is  by  way 
of  direction,  how  to  fhun  the  baneful  influence  of  thefe 
dangerous  opinions,  which  it  is  the  bufineJs  of  fome,  at 
this  day,  to  propagate  with  great  apparent  zeal. 

And  here  the  firft  thing  that  occurs  is,  to  fearch   the 
Jcriptures,  which  are  the  infallible   ftandard  of  truth  and 
error.     We  fhould  carry  every  doftrine,  which  .offers  it- 
felf  to  our  belief,  "  to   the   law   and    to  the  teftimony/' 
and   abide   that   divine   decifion.     The  rule  is  perfeft. 
The  only  danger  lies  in  the  mifapplication,  which   in- 
deed is  too  often  the  cafe.     No  corrupt   principle  of  a 
religious  nature,  hath  ever  failed  to  prefs  the  bible  into 
its  fervice,  and  claim    the  fan^Hon   of  divine  authority. 
But  though  fome  disjointed  Sentences   in   the   word   of 
God,  may  feem  to  countenance  the  moft  abfurd  and  li- 
centious opinions,  and  their  votaries  may  fly  to  this  di- 
vine fandiaary   for  protection  ;  yet   the  facred  oracles 
taken  in  their  general  .connexion,  fully  reprobate  every 
falfe  fcheme  of  religion  that  ever  has  been,  or  ever  can 
be  devifed.     They  draw  fuch  a  character  of  the  Supreme 
Being,  of  Jefus  Chrift,  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  of  the  human 
heart,  and  of  the  genuine  nature  and  effects  of  pure  and 
undefiled  religion,  that  the  doflrines  according  to  godlinefs^ 
may  be  clearly  diftinguifhed  from  all  their  counterfeits, 
The  fcriptures  in   general  have  a  plain,   determinate, 

S  conMetu 


C    7«     1 

confident  meaning,  which  may  be  clearly  underftbocL 
Therefore  no  two  oppofite  doctrines  of  religion"  can  both: 
be  agreeable  to  the  word  of  God  ;  but  one  or  the  other* 
nault   necefTarily  itand  condemned  by  it.     He  wee,   for 
iuitance,  if  the  doctrine  of^eternal  puniftimems  be  really 
Agreeable  to  the  bible,  a$  we  have  endeavoured  to  fhowy 
then  the  doflrine   of  universal  falvation  is   entirely  con- 
trary to  it,  and  not  one  text  that  can  be  found,  does,  in 
its  true  fenfe,  give  the  lead  degree  of  evidence  in  its-fa--- 
vour.     This  being  the  cafe,  there  is- all  encouragement- 
to  fearch   the  fcriptures,  to  lee  which  of  thele  two  dia- 
metrically oppofite  doclrines  is  true.    It  would  be  ft  range 
indeed  if  this  could  not  be   determined  by   every   honeffc 
enquirer,     if  any  are  in  doubt  therefore,    we  would  in- 
treat  them  to  take  heed  to  this  fure   word   of  prophecy,, 

which  is  able  to  raake  them  wile  uato  falvation.. 

\ 

In  the  next  place,  there,  is  caution   to  be  ufed  again ft'r 
the  (education  of  thofe  who  propagate  corrupt   and  dan- 
gerous fentiments.     Be  not  deceived  by  their  pretenfions 
to  fnperior  penetration  and   knowledge.     Men   of   the 
ftrongeft  minds  and 'mod:  extenfive  literature  have  ofteiv^ 
committed  the  groffeft  blunders  in  their  religious  (pecu- 
lations, and  then  employed  all  their  learning  and  abilities* 
to  maintain  and  propagate  them.     Some  of  the  enemies 
of  divine  revelation,  and  of  the  peculiar  dbclrines  of  ther 
gofpel,   have  difplayed  fhining  talents  and  a  profufton  of 
teaming,  in  pleading  the  caufe  of  error,  and  attempting 
to  lhake  the  pillars  of  our  holy  religion.     And  many  of 
their  admirers  appear  to  have  been  dazzled  and   allured 
into  their  fn-ares  by  an  implicit  faith  in  their  great  abili- 
ties.    But  this  betr  .*ys  weaknefs.     Great   men    are   not* 
always   wife : .  They  are  liable,  to  err  ; ,  and  therefor 


t    7'     ] 

ffeouftf  examine  their  opinions  as  well  as  thofe  of  other 
men,    and    admit    them    only    upon   the  foot   of   real 

evidence. 

Nor  are  we  to  be  biaffed  in  favour  of  rnei>'s  licentious 
principles,  on  account  of  their  amiable  moral  characters. 
k  is  o -juft  observation  of  Dr.  Brown,  that  men  of  ftrifl: 
morality  have  often  dilTVminated  the  molt  licentious  and 
pernicious  doctrines.  Iris  well  known,  that  Epicurus,  the 
father  of  doftrmalliccntioufnefs',  never  Jived  sip  to  hisprin- 
ciples,  bar  maintained  a  regular  and  exemplary  life. 
Spinofa,  the  father  of  fpeculative  sftbeifm,  was  a  man  of 
fobriety  and  apparent  devotion,  Lord  Herbert,  who  was, 
if  not  the  father,  yet  the  principal  advocate  for  Dei/m\n 
the  laft  century,  appears  to  have  had  a  ferious  mind,  and 
a  confciemious  regard  to  duty.  And  we  Know  that  fome 
of  the  advocates' for  ui>iverial-falvation,  are  men  of  ami- 
able natural  difpofitions  and  fair  moral  characters.  But 
ought  we  hence  to  entertain  a  more  favourable  regard' 
for  atheifm,  deifm,.  or  any  other  licentious  doflrines. 
Bv  no  means.  Thofe  principles  are  ftill-to  be  fhuned  at 
the  peril  oi  our  fouls* 

Nor  again,  are  we  to  believe  the  propagators  of  error, 
though  they  throw  out  the  molt  pompous  and  fokmn 
aile venations  of  their  fincerity,  impartiality  and  uneoni* 
mon  intercourfe  with  the  Deity,  and  concern  for  his  glo- 
ry. Tho'  we  fcrupJe  not  their  fincerity,  yet  we  icruple 
the  propriety  of  throwing  out  the  profeffion  of  it, 
which  can  have  no  tendency  to  enlighten,  but  only  pre- 
judice the  minds  of  the  credulous.  This,  whk  h  we  vei>- 
uire  to  call  an  artifice,  is  often  employed  by  the  advo- 
uiiiverlai  falvatioiv  Mr,  White}  in  his  trcatifa 


[    7*    3 

©n  the  univerfal  Federation  of  all  fmful  creatures  to  the 
divine  favour,  *  makes  the  mod  folemn  yfTeverations  of 
his  fincerity  and  facred  regard  for  the  divine  glory.    His 
cxpreffions  are  thefe,  "  And  here  I  do  in  the  fear  ef  God 
"  mod  humbly  prodrate  myfelf  before  his  divine  Majefty, 
"  and  in  the  deeped  fenfe  of  my  own  darkwefs  and  dif- 
4<  tance  from  liiim,  do  with  all  my  might  beg  of  th*t  in- 
*'  finite  goodnefs  I  am   endeavouring  to    reprefcnt   to 
"  others,  that  if  iomething  like  this  platform  and  prof* 
u  pedt  of  things,  be  not  agreeable  to  that  revealed  and 
cc  natural  light  he  hath  given  to  us,  that  my  underdattd- 
"  ing  may  be  interrupted  and  my  defign  fall,  and  that 
"  the   Lord   would  pardon  my    attempt .;  and   1   know 
11  he  will  do  fo,  for  he  hath  given   me  to  have   no  fur- 
"  ther  concern    for  this  matter,    than  as  I  apprehend 
11  it  to  be  a  mod  glorious  truth,  witnefled  to  both  by  the 
"  fcriptures  of  truth  and  by  the  mod  ^ffential  principles  of 
"  our  own  reafon,  and  which  will  be  found  at  the  laft 
*'c  opening  of  the  everlading  gofpel,  to  recover  in  that 
w  opening  a  degenerate  world."     Mr.  Relly  holds  out 
the  fame  lure  to  his  readers,  to  place  an  implicit  faith 
in  the  rectitude  of  his  views,  and  the  divinity  of  his  doc- 
trines*.    In  a  preface  to  one  volume  of  his  writings,  he 
allures  his  readers  that  his  difcourfes  were  delivered  ex- 
tempore, without  any  previous  ftudy  or  forethought,  and 
flowed  from  his  lips  as  ttoey  were  dilated  by  the  divi-ne 
fpirit.     For  fays  he,   I  followed  that   divine    dire&ioii 
given  to  the  apodles,  "  Take  no  thought  beforehand 
what  ye  fhall  fpeak,, neither  do  ye  premeditate  :  for  it  is 
not  ye  that   fpcak,  but  the  Holy  Ghoil."     How    pre- 
fumptous  is  it  for  any  man,  at  this  day,  to  pretend  to 
imitate  the  apodles  in  this  refped  !  and  efpecially  for 

Mr,    . 
*  .Page  6.  7. 


{    73     ] 

Mr.  Relly,  who  in  his  writings  every  where  ridicules 
all  experimental  religion,  inward  piety,  holy  affectations, 
tn-d  chriftian  graces  and  tempers ! 

Error   often    employs  Tuch  artifices  as  truth  neither 
needs  nor  approves.     They  fometimes,  however,  prove 
fuccefsful,  and  deceive  the  inattentive  and  unguarded. 
Thofe  who  ufe  them   therefore  are  dangerous  perfons, 
and  their  corrupting  influence  is  ftudioufiy  to  be  avoided. 
Their  doctrines  are  fatal  if  imbioed  ;  and  even  when  they 
are  not  fully  adopted,  they  tend  jto  harden  the  heart,  and 
ftupify  the  confcience.     The  bare  thought  that   fomc 
maintain    that   all  will  be  faved,  begets  a  fecret    hope 
that  poflibly  it  may  be  true,and  that  there  is  not  io  much 
danger  in  impenitence  and  unbelief  z$  many  have  long  im- 
agined, and  pretended.   Therefore  to  hear  the  untverJalifl'S 
preach,  or  read  their  writings,  merely  to  'know  what  they 
can  fay  in  defence  of  their  errors,  is  like  Eve's  liftening 
to  the  reafoning  of  the  ferpent,  and  may,  in  the  eventj 
prove  equally  fatal.  Accordingly  thefcriptnre  charafter- 
ifes  falfe  teachers,  and  warns  you  to  avoid  them.     The 
apoftle  Paul,  who  was  troubled  with  the  perverters  of 
the  gofpel,  treats  them  with  great  plainnefs  and  feverity. 
"  Bat  though  we,  or  an  angel  frqm  heaven,  preach  any 
other  gofpel  unto  you,  than  that  which  we  have  preach- 
ed unto  you,  let  him  be  accurfed.     As  we  (aid  before, 
To  fay  I  now  again,  if  any  man  preach  any  other  gofpel 
unto  you  than  that  yc  have  received,  let  him  be  accurf- 
ed/'    The  apoftle  John  direfts  man  to  have  no  iaitimate 
connection  with  falfe  teachers.    "  If  any  come  unto  youf 
and  bring  not  this  do£trine,  that  is  the  doftrine  of  Chrift 
mentioned  in  the  preceeding  verfe,  receive  him  not  into 
your  houfe,   neither  bid  him  God  fpeed.     For  he  chat 
biddeth  him  Gcd  fpeeds  is  partaker  of  his  evil  deeds/' 

T  And 


[     74 .3 

AnJ  Solomon  gives  a  fimilar  caution  and  direction. 
44  Ceafe,  my  Ion,  to  hear  the  inltru6tton  that  caufttb  /* 
err."  Thus  you  have  not  only  the  voice  of  reafon,  but 
the  voice  of  God  to  warn  you  to  ftiun  the  pretence  and 
influence  of  thole  that  lie  wait  to  deceive.. 

The  laft  direction  is,  to  repent  and  believe  the  gofpel. 
This  will  .place  you  beyond  the  reach  of  all  fatal  errors. 
When  your  hearts  are  eftablifhed  with  grace,  you  will 
no  longer  be  liable  to  be  carried  about  with  diverfe  and 
ft  range  dodrines.  When  you  yield  cordial  obedience 
to  the  divine  will,  there  is  a  promife  that  you  ftiall  know 
of  doftrines  whether  they  be  of  God.  When  you-em- 
brace  tbe  gofpel  from  the  beart^  it  will  be  out  of  the  pow~ 
cr  of  Satan  or  any  of  his  mltruments  to  deceive  )*>e. 
When  jou  iincerely  love  God,  all  things  (hall  work  to- 
gether for  your  good,  and  prepare  you  more  and  more 
for  the  great,  and  glorious,  and  folemn  (cenes,  whi)ch 
death,  judgment  and  eternity  will  foon  open  to  your 
view.  Bat  fo  long  as  you  remain  in  a  ftate  of  impeni- 
tenceand  unbelief,  you  are  in  imminent  dangerof  making 
fhipwreck  not  only  of  your  faith,  but  of  your  pre- 
cious and  immortal  fouls.  Though  you  fhould  efcape 
every  fatal  error,  and  in  fpeculation,  clearly  underftand 
every  doftfine  of  the  gofpel,  yet  if  you  hold"  even  the  truth 
in  unrighteoufnefs,  you  will  certainly  perife.  An  ortho- 
dox creed  and  a  fair  external  appearance  are  of  no  avail, 
in  point  of  divine  acceptance,  without  a  broken  and  con- 
trite heart,  and  an  unfeigned  love  oLthe  truth.  For  •with 
the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteoufnefs  :  And  -without 
bolitte/s-  no  man  fhall  fee  the  Lord.  Therefore  let  the 
wicked  forfake  his  way,  and  the  unrighteous  man  his 
thoughts  :  And  let  him  return  unto  the  Lord,  and  he  will 
have  mercy  on  hiiu  ;  aaJ  so  our  God  lor  he  will  abun«^ 

daatly 


[    75    1 

pardon.  Nor  is  there  the  leaft  excufe  for  a  mo-  . 
ment's  delay.  Behold,  now  is  the  accepted  time  ;  be- 
hold, now  is  the  day  of falvation.  Life  and  death  are 
now  fet  before  you.  This  is  the  only  day  of  grace  and 
fpace  of  repentance  you  will  ever  enjoy.  You  are  now 
placed  bet  ween  two  vaft  eternities  of  happinefs  and  \voe. 
You  are  therefore  of  all  the  creatures  of  God,  in  the  moft 
critical,  ferious  and  folemn  iltuation.  Your  life,  or  your 
death,  your  happinefSj  or  your  mifery  for  a  boundlefs 
eternity,  is  fufpended  on  theilender  thread  of  life."  And 
death  is  advancing  with  rapid  fpeed  to  feal  up  your  ac- 
count for  the  judgment  of  the  great  day  ;  when  in  the 
view  of  the  affembled  univerfe,  you  muft  hear  your 
doom,  and  either  rife  with  the  righteous  to  -man-dons  of 
eternal  blifs,  or  fink  with  the  wicked  down  to  regions  of 
eternal  darknefs,  horror  and  defpair !  Be  intreated  thent 
O  finner,  to  agree  with  thine  adverfary  quickly,  while 
thou  art  in  the  way  with  him,  leaft  he  deliver  thee  to  the 
Judge,  and  the  Jttdge  deliver  thee  to  «the  officer,  and 
thou  be  caftinto  prifon.  Verily  thou  (halt  by  no  means 
come  out  thence,  till  thouhaft  paid  the  uttermoft  farthing.!! 


E 


F  R    R"   A    T  A; 

Pige  T<J:  i  jih  line 'from  the  top,  for  piint$  read  pai*tK 
Pa^c  38.  I  j  h  line  from  the  top,  for  man  read  men. 
Page  41.  5th  line  from  'he  bottom,  for  tktret*  read  thin 
Page  43,  8rh  line  rrom  the  bottom,  for  havt  read  Ueve. 
Page  49*  lathimc  from  the  boitoai3  for  tktn  uad 


